St. Alexander's Choir

Saint Alexander’s Choir was founded by Ioannis Kottoros, Cantor at Saint Alexander’s Church in Palaion Faliron, in 1943 and conducted by him until 2006. However, the existence of a primary form of the Choir conducted by Agesilaos Papantoniou and then Ioannis Kottoros in succession is traced in 1930s.

Since its foundation the Choir has had an exclusive and leading position in the parish ecclesiastical music, and, like Saint Alexander’s Church, follows the eastern orthodox doctrine and comes under the Holy Metropolis of Nea Smyrni. Both the Choir and the former conductor Ioannis Kottoros have been awarded several times;
recently, in 2005, they were honoured with the Golden Cross of Apostle Paul by His Beatitude the late Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Christodoulos.

The Choir consists totally of men and performs the choral part during the Divine Liturgy in Saint Alexander’s Church every Sunday (10.20 a.m. - 12.00 p.m.) of its operational year, which begins on the first Sunday of November and lasts until mid-April. Additionally, it sings the “Hymn by Kassiani” of Holy Wednesday Matins (Sequence of Bridegroom, Holy Tuesday, approx. 20.30) every two years.

The main feature of the Choir is non-instrumental (a capella) polyphonic music for male voice, four-part (TTBB) and rarely three-part (TTB), created in the 19th and 20th centuries by Greek and Russian composers for orthodox worship ceremonies, e.g. the Divine Liturgy and the Rites of Baptism (Christening), Wedding, Funeral, etc. Its activity is incorporated in the 200-year Athenian tradition of Greek polyphonic ecclesiastical music as one of the last representatives of this particular kind of music. The regular and honorary members are amateur musicians, who believe in continuation of the local music tradition expressed through the Athenian school of polyphonic ecclesiastical music.

Saint Alexander’s Choir has 32 regular, normally non-paid members, except guest participations by members of other choirs.

St. Alexander's Choir’s tracks

• Κυριακή Προσευχή (Πάτερ Ημών - Lord's Prayer), συνθέτης Παναγιώτης Γλυκοφρύδης by St. Alexander's Choir
• "Χριστός Ανέστη" του Θεμιστοκλή Πολυκράτη by St. Alexander's Choir
• Κυριακή Προσευχή (Πάτερ Ημών - Lord's Prayer), συνθέτης Παναγιώτης Γλυκοφρύδης by St. Alexander's Choir
• Απολυτίκιο Αγίου Αλεξάνδρου Πατριάρχου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως (30 Αυγούστου) by St. Alexander's Choir
• Radio Interview 9/2/2013 - Ραδιοκαταγραφές στους 91,2 FM 9/2/2013 by St. Alexander's Choir
• Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός του Θεμιστοκλή Πολυκράτη (The Thricy Holy Hymn-Trisagion by Themistokles Polykrates) by St. Alexander's Choir
• Ὁ῎Αγγελος ἐβόα (The Angel cried out ) by St. Alexander's Choir
• Ἄξιον ἐστιν(Axion Esti) by St. Alexander's Choir
• Εξομολογείσθε (Confess) by St. Alexander's Choir
• Τὸν συνάναρχον Λόγον (the Son co-eternal) by St. Alexander's Choir