Sunday, April 6, 2008. The internationally renowned Greek-Canadian composer Panagiotis Karousos made an impressive honorary appearance in the Greek Parade on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, in the presence of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.The great composer and baritone Panagiotis Karousos sang the songs, Saranta Palikaria, Gero Dimos, and Makedonia Xakousti, in the parade that took place on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York City for the 187th anniversary of Greek Independence and was warmly applauded by 200,000 spectators.
He also sang "Macedonia Xakousti" at the unveiling of the statue of Aristotle by Archbishop Demetrios of America and the entire Greek community of New York at Athens Square Park Astoria, and crowd applauded his magnificent interpretation.
The great Greek-Canadian composer Panagiotis Karousos has presented a series of concerts as part of the cultural events for the Greek Independence Day parade on Manhattan's 5th Avenue for five consecutive seasons from 2006 to 2010.
Thursday, March 30, 2006. Symphony No. 1 "Symphony of Freedom" under the name Spirit of Liberty. The concert took place at the Long Island Auditorium under the sponsorship of the Deputy Minister of Sports of Greece G. Orphanos, in a production by the Federation of Greek Societies of Greater New York. The Astoria Symphony Orchestra was conducted by conductor Silas Nathaniel Huff, the Queensborough Chorus, which performed the work in Greek, was prepared by Dr. Sheila Schonbrun, and featured virtuoso trombonist Gregory Briggler.
The Symphony No. 1 “Symphony of Liberty” was performed in New York under the name Spirit of Liberty, after the French name from Canada Esprit Liberté. The concert was held in honor of Archbishop Demetrios of America, as the main event of the celebrations of the Anniversary of the National Rebirth of Greece on March 25, 1821, and the Official Parade of the Greek Diaspora of New York on Manhattan's famous 5th Avenue.
Thursday, April 12, 2007. Concert “Religious Freedoms” under the auspices of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, within the framework of the Parade on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue, for the Anniversary of the Greek Revolution, at the Stathakio Cultural Center of the Federation, with the Greater Aberdeen Symphony Orchestra and Choir under the direction of conductor Grant Gilman presented the works of the Greek-Canadian composer Symphony No. 1 “The Spirit of Freedom”, the “Violin Concerto” with soloist Leo Adamov, as well as excerpts from the operas “Prometheus Bound”, “Alexander the Great” and “Olympic Flame”. The concert was attended by soprano Lina Orfanou, soprano Mary Mackenzie and mezzo-soprano Jessica Klein.
Sunday, March 30, 2008. Opera “Prometheus Bound” in English with leading actors from the New York City Opera and the Astoria Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Grant Gilman. The participating lyrical artists were Elspeth Davis, mezzo (Violence – Goddess Athena), Mary Elizabeth Mackenzie, soprano (Io), Martin Fisher, baritone (Prometheus), and Nathan Baer, bass (Ocean – Zeus). The authoritative newspaper Patrides wrote: “New York Diaspora. On Sunday, March 30, 2008, the Federation of Greek Associations of New York and the surrounding areas presented the musical masterpiece of the Greek diaspora composer Panagiotis Karoussos: “Prometheus”. This musical creation by the well-known artist has impressed music lovers in the past, regardless of origin and cultural traditions. The performance was performed by the “Astoria Symphony Orchestra” under the direction of conductor Grant Gilman, and thrilled the crowds of spectators.”
In November 2008, the New York opera “Prometheus Bound” was presented in Washington, D.C., USA. The work impressed with its high lyricism and was described as divine.
Panagiotis Karoussos’ Prometheus was the first Greek opera to be staged and toured major cities in North America, making the creator known to the Greek diaspora as well as to the broad Canadian and American public.
Sunday, March 29, 2009. Concert "From Mozart to Carusos", with excerpts from the operas of Panagiotis Carusos interspersed with works by Mozart, at the Stathakio Cultural Center of the Federation of Greek Societies of Greater New York.
Sunday, June 28, 2009. Opera Alexander the Great by Panagiotis Carusos at the Stathakion Cultural Center of the Federation of Greek Societies of Greater New York (Queens, New York), with the Astoria Symphony Orchestra and soloists from the New York Opera under the direction of conductor Grand Gilman. The cast included: Tytus Abrahamson tenor (Alexander the Great), Elspeth Davis mezzo-soprano (Olympiad), Mary Mackenzie soprano (Roxanne), Eric Keller baritone (King Philip), and several extras for the battles since the opera was staged in a semi-staged form with costumes.
The opera was enthusiastic and applauded, and the creator Panagiotis Karousos was awarded the “Blue Diamond” of the New York Federation by the president Dimitris Kalamaras.
Panagiotis Karousos, after the successful performances of Alexander the Great in North Carolina, Chicago, Montreal and Toronto, seals the power of his work in New York. The Hellenism of the Greek diaspora thanked the composer Mr. Panagiotis Karousos and proclaimed the work of Alexander the Great a masterpiece of music that brings us back to the grandeur of the Alexandrian era.
The presentation of the opera Alexander the Great by the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York was the culmination of a series of productions of the opera in Canada and the USA. In January 2009 Panagiotis Karousos presented the opera Alexander the Great in North Carolina, USA, with the East Coast Philharmonic and soloists conducted by conductor Grant Gilman. The opera made an impression and won over the Americans. In February 2009, Alexander the Great was performed in Toronto with the University of Toronto Sneak Peek Orchestra and soloists conducted by conductor Victor Cheng. The opera Alexander the Great premiered in 2007 in Montreal, Canada, at the Notre-Dame Basilica, with a large symphony orchestra, choir and soloists under the direction of conductor Andre Gauthier. In May 2008, the opera Alexander the Great was presented with the American Symphony Orchestra of Chicago under the direction of David Stech, and the reviews spoke of the new Greek-Canadian Verdi of the opera.
The collaboration with the Federation of Greek Societies of Greater New York opened the door to America for Panagiotis Carousos, and their collaboration has made history since it was the first time in the history of Hellenism that a Greek composer of classical music staged operas in North America.
This First was unsurpassed; in 2014, UNESCO invited Panagiotis Karousos and his team of artists from Greece to present Prometheus bound at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan.
Coverage of Panagiotis Karousos concerts in The Greek Canadian Tribune - BHMA Newspaper
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