The 'TROPOS' Byzantine Choir - BYZANTINE CHOIR 'TROPOS'

Center for the Study of the Psaltic Art

TROPOS Choir was founded by Constantinos Angelidis and his associates in late 2005 with the mission of studying and promoting the centuries-old tradition of Byzantine music.

The Choir draws its inspiration from the ecclesiastical life: a devoutly liturgical spirit, a faithful reinvestment of the chanting with the ethos and style of “the music of the angels,” devotion to the Byzantine musical tradition, and scholarly engagement with a broad repertoire of compositions by prominent Byzantine and post-Byzantine composers rooted in the traditions of Constantinople and Mount Athos.

The Choir has participated in joint liturgical services with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Church of St John in Şirince (Ephesus); Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem at the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) in Jerusalem and at the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem; Patriarch Kirill of Moscow at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow; Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia at the Cathedral of St Sava in Belgrade; as well as with Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, and Archbishop Damianos of Sinai. Especially significant has been the Choir’s participation in all-night vigils at the Athonite monasteries of Vatopaidion, Docheiariou, Simonos Petra, and Xenophontos, as well as at the Monasteries of St Catherine on Mount Sinai, of St Anthim in Bucharest, Romania, and of Panagia Machairas in Nicosia, Cyprus.

TROPOS Byzantine Choir has performed at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (Athens and Epidaurus Festival) and at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Musices), where it has held seven concerts in collaboration with the Music Ensembles of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ΕΡΤ). It has also taken part in the 1st and 3rd Sacred Music Festivals, co-organised by the Greek National Opera and the Ministry of Culture, with performances at the Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre in Plaka, at the Church of St Prophet Elisha in Monastiraki, and at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. Internationally, the Choir has participated in festivals in Türkiye, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, France, and Poland.

Of particular note has been TROPOS’ collaborations with Julien Jâlal Eddine Weiss and the Al-Kindi Ensemble; with Kudsi Erguner, UNESCO Artist for Peace, with an ensemble of turkish religious music performers; and with Greek musicians Socrates Sinopoulos, Panos Demetracopoulos and the Orchestra of Greek Music ‘Chrones Aidonides.’

In its 20 years of activity, the Choir has brought Greek musical culture and the psaltic art to audiences in 20 countries. This sacred musical tradition, infused with a distinctive spirituality, defines a core aspect of the Greek identity, and contributes significantly to the global musical culture. The Choir’s 32 CD recordings serve as reference points for the rich legacy of Byzantine chant, presenting both classic and unpublished works by major composers from Constantinople and Mount Athos, dating from the 13^th century to the present.

Discography:

Constantinos Ath. Angelidis

Protopsaltes, Master of the Psaltic Art

Constantinos Angelidis was born in Tripoli, Greece, in 1964. He studied Theology at the Athens Higher Ecclesiastical School and the University of Athens (Faculty of Theology). He also studied Byzantine Music under Constantinos Tassopoulos (ptychion, 1979) and Lycourgos Angelopoulos (diploma, 1988). As a scholar of the Alexandros Onassis Foundation, he participated in the research programme Study and Analysis of the Works of the Byzantine Master Ioannes Coucouzeles.

He has served the art of Byzantine chant as Lampadarios and Protopsaltes since 1985. Since 2014, he has been Protopsaltes at the Church of the Holy Unmercenaries (Sts Anargyroi), the Dependency (Metochion) of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in the Plaka district of Athens.

Since 1985, he has taught Byzantine music at various schools and institutions: conservatories, music schools of Holy Metropolises, monasteries, and hesychasteria in Greece and abroad (including Cyprus, Romania, North Macedonia, and Georgia). Since 1996, he has been teaching at the School of Byzantine Music of the Music Foundation of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens. He conducted the Byzantine Choir of the same School in church services and concerts, as well as in the CD recordings of Metaxy Athenon kai eschaton (From Athens to Eternity, 2008), Octoechia – Arga Apolytikia (The Octoechos – Slow Apolytikia, 2021), Octoechia – Anastasimes Katavasies (The Octoechos – Resurrectional Catavasies, 2023), and in performances of the hymns of the music book of Palaion Sticherarion (2024 and 2025).

From 1994 to 2005, he organised and directed the Choir of the Fathers of Vatopaidion Monastery on Mount Athos. He has overseen the production of 14 CDs featuring works by classical Byzantine and Vatopaidion composers and also directed a choir of cantors for the recording of a double CD in collaboration with the Chilandarion Monastery on Mount Athos.

As a member of the Greek Byzantine Choir under Lycourgos Angelopoulos, he participated in over 900 events across Greece and 30 other countries in Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. He worked as a music producer for Hellenic Radio from 1985 to 2005, and since 2009 he has collaborated with the radio station of the Church of Greece on matters related to Byzantine music. Since 2022, he has co-produced the programme Logos kai Melos on the web radio station Pemptousia of Vatopaidion Monastery, together with musicologist Dr Georgios Savvas.

In late 2005, Constantinos Angelidis founded the Centre for the Study of the Psaltic Art and the TROPOS Byzantine Choir. He has directed the Choir in concerts and liturgical services in Greece and in 20 other countries. As choirmaster, he has edited the recording of 32 CDs featuring both classical and previously unpublished works by Byzantine and post-Byzantine composers from Constantinople and Mount Athos.

ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD

Photios Medas, President
Αntonios Chalaris, Vice President
Demetrios Nentas, Secretary
Constantinos Moutaphis, Treasurer
Avraam Emmanouil, Team Manager
Tryphonos Constantinos, Member
Savvas Georgios, Member

HONORARY MEMBERS

Christos Zerefos
Academician, Supervisor of the Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology, Academy of Athens

Michael Meraklis
Professor Emeritus of Folklore Studies, University of Athens

Panteleimon Paschos
Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Theology, University of Athens

Ioannis Tsegos
Psychiatrist, President of the Open Psychotherapy Centre

Demetrios Chatziapostolou
Painter

Kriton Chryssochoidis
Director Emeritus of Research, Institute for Historical Research, National Hellenic Research Foundation

BYZANTINE CHOIR ‘TROPOS’