Mike Emanuel - Fall 2010
From the White House to Stockton College: A Conversation with Mike Emanuel, Greek-American White House Correspondent, FOXNews
Galloway Township, NJ- On Sunday, November 7, 2010, at 1:30PM, the Richard Stockton College Friends of Hellenic
Studies will present “From the White House to Stockton College: A Conversation with Mike Emanuel, Greek-American
White House Correspondent.” The White House Correspondent will be speaking on his experiences in the White House
under Presidents Bush and Obama as well as the Greek-American experience in the media. In
addition, The Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians will perform Byzantine hymns and Greek folk songs and Christmas carols. This Annual Friends of
Hellenic Studies Scholarship Luncheon will be the first Stockton event to be held
at the recently acquired Seaview Resort. The ticket price includes a Mediterranean
buffet lunch at 2 PM, prior to the program.
Tickets are $50 for adults, $45 for FHS members, $25 for non-Stockton students and $10 for Stockton students. For more information, please contact Kathleen Cochrane at 609-652-4658 or George Plamantouras, (609) 652-4433 or email at ichs@stockton.edu.
The Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians (EFGOCM) was formed in1977
which includes individual church musicians throughout the Metropolis of New Jersey
and comprises all of the state of New Jersey, the Philadelphia Metropolitan area of
southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. These Orthodox choirs
have, like others all over the nation, joined together in order to strengthen the
quality of Greek Orthodox Church music. Each member choir participates in a variety
of musical activities and has a vote in all matters brought before the Federation
Council. Officers are elected at the annual conference for two year terms. Our main
goal is to improve the spiritual and musical background of choir members, directors,
organists, psalti, clergy and the Greek Orthodox faithful. We offer workshops, Church
Music Institutes and annual conferences to develop musical skills. The New Jersey
District III (our part of the Metropolis) is very active for we sing at the Holy Cross
Celebration at Asbury Park in September; we do a Christmas Concert: this December
19, 2010 will be at St. Nicholas in Wyckoff; and we will be performing our annual
Lenten Program on April 15, 2011 at St. George in Trenton. This group evolved out
of our yearly EFGOCM conference that is held though out the Metropolis of New Jersey.
During the evenings at the conference many of us have the opportunity to congregate
near a piano and start singing the old Greek Folk Songs. About 5 years ago we were
asked if a group of singers could present a few of these songs at a luncheon for St.
Basil’s Academy fundraiser. We did and by popular demand this past March we were asked
to do a repeat performance. We love the “old songs” and remember our childhood from
the great times our parents had when they gathered at house parties and began singing.
The popular Greek songs of today are much different. You can still hear these “oldies
but goodies” in some tavernas. We now call ourselves the “Hellenic Harmonics” We begin
our program with four hymns of the Christmas season. Then we will continue with a
medley of familiar Greek Folk Songs. We hope you enjoy our rendition.
As with all of our recent events, we will have free offprints from a variety of authors
concerning all aspects of Hellenism. In addition to those, we will also have books
available, mostly from our Books for You campaign. Proceeds of any books written
by Professor Constantelos will go into our scholarship funds. Among these books will
be his collected poetry, which was published in Greece last year and is now almost
gone. This may be your last chance to get a copy.
While books and offprints have become a standard part of our events, this year, guests
will have an additional reason to come early. The newest board member of the Friends
of Hellenic Studies, Victoria Papale, will be displaying some of her artwork, some
of which will be loaned from a current exhibit for our event. Frequent visitors to these
pages over the last six months have gotten a look at some of her work. Be sure to
see first-hand the fruit of her undeniable talent.
