The Living Art - The Art of living -EN

ΕΝ ΧΟΡΔΑΙΣ & ΟΡΓΑΝΟΙΣ {Η Μεγάλη του Μάρκου Σχολή} is a non-profit organization founded in 2017 in Syros island, hometown of Markos Vamvakaris and it is housed in a two-storey renovated traditional building of 1830, owned by the local church, in the centre of Ermoupolis. The literal meaning of ΕΝΧΟΡΔΑΙΣ & ΟΡΓΑΝΟΙΣ is the Greek translation of “strings and pipe” as mentioned in the Bible Psalm 150 where the praise of God is set within the context of celebratory music and dancing. Figuratively in Greek, ΕΝ ΧΟΡΔΑΙΣ & ΟΡΓΑΝΟΙΣ also means with great enthusiasm and in festivity. We share the same enthusiasm and dedication when praising our traditional folk music, rebetiko.

The second component of our organization’s name, {Η ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΤΟΥ ΜΑΡΚΟΥ ΣΧΟΛΗ} means “the Great School of Markos” and is a tribute to Markos Vamvakaris, the patriarch of rebetiko music, who was born in Syros, the Greek island where our organization is established. ΕΝ ΧΟΡΔΑΙΣ & ΟΡΓΑΝΟΙΣ {Η Μεγάλη του Μάρκου Σχολή} aims to highlight and preserve the cultural heritage of rebetiko music, in response to a wishful thought aired by the composer Stavros Xarhakos in the summer of 2016, during an event of the Syros Choral Association in his honour. The participation in this event of a children’s musical ensemble -“The Secret Bouzouki”- added to the Maestro’s initiative an additional incentive for the founding of the School. Stavros Xarhakos trusted folk and Byzantine music teachers who undertook to teach at the School, offering their experience and knowledge.

The ultimate vision of ΕΝ ΧΟΡΔΑΙΣ & ΟΡΓΑΝΟΙΣ is the gradual development of the School into a musical culture hub: the creation of an exemplary infrastructure (cutting-edge acoustic technologies, state-of-the-art classrooms, auditoriums, the opportunity to host young musicians as interns from Greece and internationally), which will serve as a reference point and will highlight the folk and traditional music of our country. In this way, an international spotlight of cultural attraction can be created in Syros, linking scholars to music universities and to the wider music community.