2013 Psaltiki Holy Week On Mount Athos Award

P s a l t i k i promotes the advancement of the Hellenic Psaltic Art, also known as Byzantine and post-Byzantine Chant, and Hymnology by facilitating, cultivating and supporting its academic study, as well as initiating projects that transmit the psaltic heritage.

Our mission is to educate, empower and connect the next generation of chanters for tomorrow by providing knowledge, resources and visibility today.

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The recipient of the 2013 Psaltiki Holy Week on Mount Athos Award Competition is Ryan Collins

The review process was extremely competitive this year. Decisions were made on the basis of the Psaltiki review process which involves discerning which applicant would best benefit from the Athonite experience. Psaltiki, Inc. is proud to be able to offer this unique and unparalleld opportunity with the help of all its supporters around the world!

Since 2009 Psaltiki is the proud sponsor of the bi-annual Holy Week on Mount Athos Award, providing the opportunity for a student of Byzantine Chant to spend Holy Week in a Mount Athos monastery.

The purpose of the award is to allow students of the Byzantine chant tradition to come into contact with the living psaltic heritage in one of its most traditional settings, the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos. The award is geared toward providing access to artistic excellence and reinvigorating the tradition in America, where most students of this traditional art form do not have the opportunity to witness the chant in its native liturgical setting.

This round of the competition is generously underwritten by The Helen Petriti-Stratigos Memorial Fund.

Contest details

Psaltiki provides transportation to and from a select Athonite monastery for Holy Week, as well as securing the invitation from the monastery to the successful recipient of the award. Transportation includes air travel to Thessaloniki, Greece from Boston, MA, as well as all expenses for transportation from the Thessaloniki airport to Ouranoupolis. A paid hotel reservation will be made in Ouranoupolis. The next morning the recipient will attain their Diamoneterion from the Office for Pilgrims and depart on reserved transportation from Ouranoupolis to the Daphne, and on to the specific monastery from there. This year the hosting monastery is Xenophontos, who will issue the official invitation for the necessary dates.

The successful recipient must obtain a valid passport for travel to Greece at his own expense, as well as the necessary paperwork needed to enter the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos (details to be provided by Psaltiki). The recipient is also expected to respect all monastery etiquette and rules during their visit.

The recipient is also requested to submit an article about their experiences to be published in the Psaltiki Online Journal.

Requirements

The award is open to any male student of Byzantine Chant currently enrolled at Hellenic College or Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and which has completed or is in the process of completing training in Byzantine chant.
Submit a completed Application Form.
Submit a 250-word essay describing how the recipient will benefit from the experience.
Greek language: While there is no formal requirement regarding proof of proficiency in Modern Greek, in order for a recipient to make the most of the experience, some ability in conversational Greek is preferred.
Submit, by the application deadline, recordings—either as CD(s) or mp3 file(s)—containing three selections from the applicant's list of repertoire. At least two of the three compositions should be in Greek and the three genera of composition should be represented (i.e. heirmologic, sticheraric, papadic).
Submit a current digital photo of the applicant.
Submit a Resume including a short biographical note of no more than three pages total.
Have two letters of recommendation sent to the address below according to the details on the Application Form.
Submit the completed and signed Liability Waiver.
Upon return from your trip to submit an article about your experiences. The should be prepared to be published in the Psaltiki Online Journal (photos welcome).

Important Dates

Application deadline: 15 October 2012
Announcement of successful recipient: 25 October 2012
Depart from Boston for Thessaloniki, Greece: 25 April 2013
Depart Mount Athos for Thessaloniki: 6 May 2013
Return to US: 7 May 2013

Application

Click here to open the Application Form. Once open, click on the fields and type in the requested information. Electronic submission to psaltiki (at) psaltiki (dot) org is prefered, although a mailing address is also supplied. Sharing a Dropbox or SkyDrive Folder can simplify things.

If you do choose to mail the application materials please send us an email to inform us you have done so.

Best of luck!

Selection Process and Philosophy

The selection process is made by the Psaltiki Board members and outside referees chosen by Psaltiki, Inc.; every decision is final.
All submitted materials are considered and decision is made regarding the applicant who would most benefit from the Holy Week on Mount Athos experience.

Past Recipiants

2013: Ryan Collins: A native of Mauston, Wisconsin and MDiv candidate at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Ryan has been inspired in his life by the doxological element of our chant heritage.
2011: Rev. Dcn. John Efthymios Afendoulis: A lover of Byzantine chant since childhood, Fr. John received the award in his last-year as a student at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and completed his MDiv in 2011.
2009: Georgios Livaditis: A native of Corpus Cristi, Texas and last-year student of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline MA in 2009. →

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News and Activities

Psaltiki & Fr Konstantinos on “Ancient Faith Presents…” talking about Psaltiki and our Byzantine chant heritage! →
Psaltiki 2013 Pascha on Mount Athos Award competition begins! This round of competition is lovingly underwritten by The Helen Petriti-Stratigos Memorial Fund →
New Superb Digital & CD Releases from Psaltiki! Hagios: The Byzantine Liturgy containing beautiful chants for the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great from XIIIth- and XVth-century Byzantine composer and Paraklesis: Hymns of Supplication containing the Small and Great Canons of Supplication to the Mother of God in Greek and English →

These activities are made possible through the generous donations of supporters like yourself. Please consider a gift to help Psaltiki continue promoting and cultivating Byzantine Chant today!

Contribute

Click the “Donate” button to use PayPal to make your tax deductible contribution by credit card. If you prefer to mail a check please send it to:

Psaltiki, Inc.
P.O. Box 149161
Orlando, FL 32814-9161

By supporting Psaltiki, Inc. you support the advancement of our psaltic heritage, its study and transmission.
Psaltiki, Inc. is a nonprofit organization tax exempt under section 501(c)(3), Tax ID #20-8541253.