On Sunday, April 13, and Holy Monday, April 14, 2025, visitors to the Acropolis Museum will have the unique opportunity to attend a series of short concerts that highlight the contribution of sacred music to the development of Western culture. These events will take place as part of the 3rd Sacred Music Festival, co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Greek National Opera, under the artistic direction of Giorgos Koumendakis. Admission to each concert is free, with no seat reservations, and attendance will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Program Details:
Sunday, April 13, 2025
Vassilis Tsitsanis: 100 Years – The Saint of Love
Museum Forecourt, 17:00
Based on a concept by Andreas Katsigiannis, this concert links Byzantine hymns with the iconic folk songs composed by Vassilis Tsitsanis, performed by the renowned Dimitra Galani, with bouzouki and vocals by Manolis Pappos. The concert also features the Estudiantina Orchestra of Nea Ionia Volos and the Hellenic Byzantine Choir, conducted by Giorgos Konstantinou.
Vassilis Tsitsanis, one of the most important creators of Greek folk music, portrayed through his work the sorrows and struggles of everyday people. Women, and particularly the figure of the grieving mother—often symbolized as the Virgin Mary—play a central role. His melodies echo the tones of Byzantine musical tradition. Parallel paths, parallel narratives.
On one hand, the sacred drama unfolds through the great hymns of the Church; on the other, Tsitsanis’ songs narrate a journey through love, suffering, sacrifice, death, and ultimately, redemption. The figure of the Mother —her lamentation— resonates alongside the Virgin Mary’s sorrow for the Crucified. For the first time, the hymns of the Byzantine tradition meet the very essence of Greek folk music: the songs of our great composer Vassilis Tsitsanis, whose centenary is celebrated this year.
Holy Monday, April 14, 2025
O Gliki Mou Ear (O, My Sweet Springtime)
Museum Forecourt, 17:30 & 19:30
Featuring works by Mikis Theodorakis and Good Friday Lamentations
Orchestration and musical direction: Thanasis Papathanasiou
Tasos Apostolou, bass
Vamos Orchestra
The distinguished Cretan ensemble Vamos Orchestra offers a fresh perspective on Christianity’s most solemn period — Holy Week — balancing human grief and the tragedy of death with the promise of resurrection and light.
The concert opens with Mikis Theodorakis’ Epitaphios (1958), based on poetry by Yiannis Ritsos, now presented in a new symphonic arrangement. The eight poems set to music were inspired by a photograph of a mother mourning over her child’s body during the labor uprisings in Thessaloniki in 1936.
The second part features Mauthausen (1965), a song cycle with lyrics by Iakovos Kambanellis, recounting the love between two concentration camp prisoners in the eponymous World War II camp, where the poet himself had been imprisoned.
The final part, titled Ai Genai Pasae (All Generations Mourn), presents an excerpt from the Good Friday Lamentations, orchestrated by Thanasis Papathanasiou, where orchestral music and Orthodox chant are woven together in an innovative tribute to the spirit of Holy Week.
Major Donor of the Greek National Opera: Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
