Concert OPUS ALEXANRINUM. Musical Activity of the Greeks at Alexandria ad Aegyptum
- September 30, 2025
Wednesday October 22 at 19.00
Bibliotheca Alexandrina – Conference Center-Small Theatre as part of the AlexMed Cultural Forum of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture (HFBC) present on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 19:00, the concert “OPUS ALEXANDRINUM – Musical Activity of the Greeks at Alexandria ad Aegyptum“.
Opus Alexandrinum—a project dedicated to the musical activity of the Greek community of Alexandria from the late 19th to the mid-20th century—is the result of musicological research conducted by flutist Natalia Gerakis. It was published in a collectible book/CD edition by the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture (HFBC).
Distinguished soloists and contributors of the CD recording Irini Karaianni (mezzo-soprano), Natalia Gerakis (flute), and Apostolos Palios (piano) will perform works by Greek composers who were either born in or actively involved in Alexandria, including: Spyridon Papastathopoulos, Alexandros Greck, Petros Ioannidis, Panagiotis Tsampounaras, Maria Sideratou, Jani Christou, Michalis Rozakis, and Giannis Avgerinos. They will also interpret compositions based on the poetry of Constantine P. Cavafy, written by composers Dimitri Mitropoulos, Argyris Kounadis, Theodore Antoniou and Kostis Kritsotakis. Short narratives about Alexandrian society and its music scene will be interspersed throughout the program, acting as connective elements between the music compositions. Historical photographs of the city of Alexandria will also be projected during the performance.
The musical life and creativity of the Greeks in Alexandria are deeply intertwined with the wider interest in the emblematic history of this cosmopolitan city, and in the significant contribution of the Greek element to its prosperity—both in antiquity and in modern times. The aim of the study is to demonstrate that the musical output of modern Alexandria was a natural outgrowth of a cosmopolitanism rooted in the rich multicultural society of the ancient city.
The book/CD, printed at the historic Greek printing house “El Helb Press” in Alexandria, is available exclusively to libraries and institutions in Greece and Egypt. Readers are offered insights into the founding and flourishing of the Ptolemaic city during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the dominance of the Ionian scientific spirit, and the enduring presence, prosperity, and prominent role of Hellenism in the economic and cultural life—and especially the musical developments (associations, ensembles, theaters, schools, composers, soloists)—of modern Egypt (19th–20th centuries).
In addition, the publication includes rare archival photographs of the Alexandrian Greek Community from the collections of the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive(ELIA-MIET), as well as recordings of a small but representative selection of the vast musical material uncovered during the research.
The realization of the Opus Alexandrinum research was made possible thanks to the support of several institutions, including: the Department of Music Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), the Lilian Voudouri Music Library of Greece, the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive of the Cultural Foundation of the National Bank of Greece (ELIA-MIET), the Archives of the Greek Community of Alexandria (EKA), the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA), the Kounadis Archive (AK), the Athens Conservatoire Historical Archive, the Archive of Greek Composers by Thomas Tamvakos, and the Georgios Konstantzos Archive of Greek Music.
The CD was recorded at the Sound Studio of the Department of Music Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA).
Research, Texts, Curation:
Natalia Gerakis
Performing:
Irini Karaianni – mezzo-soprano
Natalia Gerakis – flute
Apostolos Palios – piano
Concert Co-organization:
Bibliotheca Alexandrina / AlexMed Cultural Forum &
Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture – HFBC
Event Date & Location:
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 19:00
Bibliotheca Alexandrina | Conference Center, Small Theatre
Bab Shar’, Alexandria, Egypt
Free Admission
Hellenic Philharmonic (Wind Band) of Alexandria
Opus Alexandrinum – Concert Programme at Bibliotheca Alexandrina 22/10/25
Natalia Gerakis – Opus Alexandrinum – Book/CD
