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If you answered yes to at least one of the above questions, the Greek Chorale Boston maybe be a good fit for you. You do not need to have prior experience as a solo singer or choir member. The choir is open to Greeks and non-Greeks who share a passion for Greek music & language, and who love to sing. It is not necessary to either be fluent in Greek or to know how to read music. Lyrics are provided, and sometimes scores are provided for those who need them. Panayota has been leading the group since January 2019. The chorale meets on a weekly basis. 

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SPRING SEMESTER BEGINS IN FEB 2024

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we are currently looking for new members

~ all voices ~

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OUR MOTTO:

Everyone’s voice is unique.

We learn from each other.

We are part of a strong community.

Greek culture connects us.

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OUR VALUES:

Community, Curiosity & Learning, Compassion, Friendship, Fun, and LOVE 

For what we DO and who we R

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Chorister Ioannis Baltopoulos describes his experience with the

Greek Chorale Boston. Ioannis joined the Chorale in Spring 2021.

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"My main motivation for joining Panayota's Greek Chorale Boston was to maintain a connection to Greece and the local community while working on my vocal technique with an experienced coach and having fun with like-minded individuals. 

 

The choir's repertoire is wide and exposes members to a variety of songs and genres broadening our knowledge of Greek music;  the choir works on several songs at a time ranging from traditional and folk songs to more art songs by famous composers such as Mikis Theorodrakis.

 

Panayota is an accomplished musician and vocalist who creates beautiful original arrangements for the choir. She is flexible to adjust her teaching style for each song depending on its complexity and works with individual members of the group to address any personal needs. For example, non-native speakers might focus on pronunciation, breathing, and rhythm while more advanced singers work on expression and dynamics. For the more musically inclined members of the group, Panayota provides sheet music for her arrangements while for others she prepares audio clips and backing tracks so that individuals can practice on their own. The pandemic gave her the opportunity to experiment with alternative ways to work with the group over video-conferencing where individuals produced recordings of their parts on a regular basis or performed on camera and Panayota provided personalized feedback which naturally benefited the group as a whole.

 

All the work Panayota and the choir do comes together in several studio recordings and live performances throughout the year which are highly anticipated events for all choristers and their families."

 

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Chorister Evangeline Harris' experience working with Panayota as a coach.

Evangeline joined the Chorale in Spring 2021.

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"After 10 years of playing the organ and singing in my Greek church choir, I knew I needed a new venue to become musically creative, so I joined the Greek Chorale of Boston and met an inspirational talent in Panayota who has transformed my abilities to sing with passion and precision.  This has been a personal journey involving true mind and body training that Panayota has developed and expertly shares joyously as an  extraordinary mentor and coach to myself and all the members of the Greek Chorale.

 

Panayota, a brilliant vocalist herself, has taught me the importance of preparing your whole body, to relax, to warm up with new vocal sounds, to learn how to breathe, and how to sustain various sounds and notes. She created personal recordings for me and all the members to listen to,  to train us by moving from spoken word in rhythm, to carefully singing a phrase, and then singing a whole line. This level of personalized training helps offer us concrete skills to capture the rich details of tempo and styles of new and old Greek folk music pieces.  

 

It has been a magical experience to "learn how to sing alto and master harmony," for the first time in my life thanks to my amazing coach Panayota. How did she do this?

Panayota encouraged us as an alto team at 6:30 PM weekly working over zoom, to record ourselves singing a piece using voice memos on our phones. This is an amazing teaching tool, which she uses as an exercise in modeling how to individually "improve our own sound and voice modulation". It works incredibly because it takes hard work to listen to her voice and then try to imitate it, and then share our best recordings with her to get feedback. 

 

How did this work, well it taught me to have patience and keep trying to improve the crackly sounds I was producing. I learned that I have to practice daily, keep trying to sing softly, to listen deeply, and with repetition and practice strive to create my best efforts at each song. This was not easy I admit. After 10 tries recording my voice, trying to sing the song louder, slower, changing tones, I finally began to create a version I could dare to share with Panayota as " terrified as I was in the beginning". Panayota offered incredibly encouraging "personalized feedback" which guided me to memorizing lyrics and melodies that I am now proud to sing for others. 

 

Panayota is a " vocal teacher" who provides the amazing gift of sharing her expertise in singing with those of us who aspire to lift our voices to new heights. I am still at the beginning of my journey as an alto, but I am truly inspired to continue growing as a vocalist with the help of Panayota and all the members of the Greek Chorale of Boston. 

Please come to our next performance and see for yourself."