October and November 2020

 

The Church of Hagia Sophia

Professor Hector Williams, UBC
Monday October 26, 2020 @ 19:30 PDT 

The church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) was the greatest church of the Byzantine world.  Built by the emperor Justinian between AD 532-537 it served for nearly a thousand years as the centre for Orthodox worship in Constantinople.  After the Ottoman capture of the city in May of 1453 Mehmet II made it the most important mosque in the city and so it remained until it officially opened as a museum in 1935. Its design influenced great Ottoman mosques like the Selemaniye and the "Blue Mosque". The talk will present the history, architecture and mosaic decoration of one the greatest religious buildings in the world and talk about its possible future after its conversion back into a mosque by the Erdogan government this summer.  The speaker first visited the church in 1969 and has been there at least eight times

How Ancient Greek Music Won Hearts and Minds

Professor Michael Griffin, UBC with

Theodore Koumartzis, Luthieros, Thessaloniki

Monday November 30, 2020 at @ 19:30 PST

This unique meeting of Pharos will explore the work of the Koumartzis family, based near Thessaloniki, to reconstruct the Ancient Greek lyre and kithara. We’ll listen together to living examples of classical Greek music, ranging from the Epitaph of Seikilos—arguably the oldest surviving written music in the world—to improvisational reconstructions on the Greek modes; and we’ll have time to experiment with a replica lyre. The talk will include an interview with Theodore Koumartzis, luthier and musician, and a discussion by Michael Griffin of the implications of music in the philosophy of Plato and Pythagoras—particularly the power of music to cultivate our hearts and minds.

You can preview video examples of Luthieros’ musical instruments in action:

• “Journey”, Aphrodite Patoulidou and Theodore Koumartzis: https://youtu.be/vpv2Va_6zTc
•  ύμνος στη μούσα Καλλιόπη και τον Απόλλωνα, Thanasis Kleopas: https://youtu.be/Y8Hpyov3Tt8 

This lecture will be streamed live on Zoom: Non-Pharos members may register to receive the link by sending an email to:  PharosVancouver@gmail.com

A link to a video recording for later viewing will be circulated following the lecture. 

Next Pharos Lecture: Monday January 25, 2021 @ 19:30 PST

Speaker TBA

These lectures will be free online zoom presentations. To subscribe, sent an email to PharosVancouver@gmail.com

March and April 2020

MARCH and APRIL PRESENTATIONS CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19

Jewelery in the Byzantine World: A New Reading

Dr. Georgios Makris,
UBC Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory
Monday March 30, 2020 @ 7:30 pm  Cancelled

Upper Hall, Hellenic Community Centre
4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC

In their conscious effort to communicate their complex identity, social status, and cultural values, the inhabitants of the Byzantine empire often buried their dead with a wide variety of dress accessories. By bringing together jewelry found in excavations in Greece and Turkey and artefacts from museum collections around the world, Dr. Makris will  investigate the pervasive significance of jewels in Byzantium from the tenth through the twelfth centuries CE. 

Traditional Greek Folk Dances of Thrace, Epirus, and Pontos

Dimitrios Kontogiannis with

Diaspora, Tharros, and Zefyros Dance Ensembles

Monday April 27, 2020 @ 7:30 pm  Cancelled

Upper Hall, Hellenic Community Centre

4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC

In celebration of 40 years of Pharos' contributions to Greek culture in Vancouver, dance groups from the Greek communities of the Lower Mainland (Hellenic Centre, East Vancouver, & Surrey) will present a programme of dances from three different regions of Greece: Thrace, Epirus, and Pontos. This variety of dances provides a glimpse into the rich diversity of Greek cultural traditions continuing today.

January - February 2020

Charms Without Arms 
The Story of the Venus de Milo

Prof. Hector Williams,
UBC Classics, Near East and Religious Studies
Monday January 27, 2020 @ 7:30 pm

Upper Hall, Hellenic Community Centre
4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC

The Aphrodite of Melos (better known as the Venus de Milo from her French name) is one of the most famous statues in the world. Found by a Greek farmer in April of 1820 on the Cycladic island of Melos she was purchased by the French ambassador in Constantinople and given to King Louis XVII of France for the Louvre Museum where she has been ever since. Along with the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samothrace she is one of the three great treasures of that institution. The talk will present the statue and the complex history of its study and reception over the past 200 years.

Greeks in Vancouver:  Stories and Photos

Sophia Kasouli-Milobar

Vancouver Public Library

Monday February 24, 2020,7:30 pm

Hellenic Community Centre

4500 Arbutus St., Vancouver,  BC

Three years ago the Hellenic Community of Vancouver and the Vancouver Public Library partnered to collect and preserve photographs and stories of Vancouver’s Greek Community. VPL Librarian and Hellenic Community member Sophia Karasouli-Milobar was involved in the Hellenic Stories of Vancouver project from the very beginning. Sophia will present some highlights of the photographs and stories contributed to the project and take us on a quick tour of the history of the Greeks in Vancouver.