Five Fascinating Workshops in Corfu, at the Durrell School, 18-24 September

THE DURRELL SCHOOL OF CORFU ANNOUNCES

The Music, Dance and Drama of the Ionian Islands

18–24 SEPTEMBER 2011, IN CORFU TOWN

This is an innovative and experimental event, combining elements of an academic conference with practical workshops in sacred and secular song, dance, drama, and verse performance.

This event is organized by Dr Anthony Hirst, the new Academic Director of the Durrell School of Corfu, and Dr Kostas Kardamis of the Music Department of the Ionian University, in conjunction with Alexina and David Ashcroft, the Administrative and Technical Directors, respectively, of the Durrell School. This is the second in the new series of Ionian Islands events organized by the Durrell School, following the seminar in May 2010 on The History and Culture of the Ionian Islands, the proceedings of which are now being edited for publication.

The week will begin with a Welcome Reception in the Library of the Durrell School in the early evening of Sunday 18 September, and end with a public performance of the results of the five workshops in the evening of Saturday 24 September. The programme on the five weekdays in between will involve academic sessions in the mornings followed by a long lunch and siesta period before the workshops start in the early evening. On one or two days the morning sessions may be shorter to allow for excursions.

The workshop sessions will be practical classes in which you can learn new skills, or exercise skills that you already have on new material. The workshop sessions will also function as rehearsals, leading to the performance at the end of the week. Final rehearsals, if needed, will be scheduled for the day time on the Saturday. Each learning/rehearsal session will last two to three hours. Each participant will be able to take part in only one series of workshop, and will be asked on the application form to rank at least three workshops in order of preference. The scope of each of the five workshops is described below, following the Call for Papers. The dance and music workshops will concentrate on those styles of singing and dancing which are peculiar to the Ionian Islands, and which distinguish Ionian culture from that of the rest of Greece; the drama and verse performance workshops will use texts by Ionian authors.

The public performance on Saturday will — weather permitting — take place in an open-air venue (though we will have an inside venue lined up as a fall-back), and the public will be invited to attend, free of charge.

We also hope to take advantage of performances that happen to be taking place in Corfu during the evenings of the week in question; and some performances may be arranged specifically to coincide with this Durrell School event.

Call for papers

Proposals are invited for presentations, in English, on any aspect of the history and practice of music, dance or drama in the Ionian Islands — and of course including that combination of music and drama — opera — which has played an important part in the culture of the islands.


Proposals, of no more than 600 words, should indicate not only the themes to be covered but also the audio-visual materials to be used to illustrate the themes. The delivery of the scripted part of the paper should not take more than 30 minutes, but the overall time may be extended by the length of any recorded audio or audio-visual material to be presented, up to a maximum of one hour. Each presentation will be followed by ample time for discussion. The proposal should include an estimate of the total length of audio-visual recordings. Proposals should be accompanied by a CV or brief biographical statement.

Proposals and CVs/biographies should be sent as email attachments in Word or pdf format to anthony.hirst@btinternet.com, to arrive not later than 15 June 2011.

Those whose proposals are accepted for presentation will be able to take part in all the activities of the week, including participating in one of the workshops, without payment of the Registration fee.

The five workshops


1. Sacred Song:

Orthodox Liturgical Music of the Ionian Islands (‘Cretan Chant’)

In this workshop you will learn to sing representative samples of the traditional polyphonic sacred chant of the Ionian Islands. This music is often called ‘Cretan Chant’, because of its derivation from the style of chanting used in the Orthodox churches of Crete. When Crete passed from Venetian to Ottoman rule in 1669, Cretan Chant was brought to the Ionian Islands, where it was developed and enriched, and is still in use today. Although based on the Byzantine octoechos (‘eight-mode’ system), Cretan Chant has much in common with the traditional polyphony of certain non-Orthodox Mediterranean regions, such as the island of Corsica. This workshop provides a unique opportunity to make contact with a somewhat obscure aspect of the Greek Church.


This workshop will be directed by Dr. Stathis Makris, Associate Professor in the Music Department of the Ionian University. He specializes in the sacred tradition of the Ionian Islands and the traditional folk-music of Greece.

Minimum number of participants: 4 (2 Tenors and 2 Baritones or Basses). While Orthodox Chant is normally performed only by male voices it should be possible to include some female voices particularly Contraltos.

Maximum number of participants: No upper limit


Requirements: a basic knowledge of musical notation and solfeggio (Tonic sol-fa), and some experience of choral singing


2. Secular Song:

The urban choral tradition of the Ionian Islands


Through the creative amalgamation in the Ionian Islands of local polyphonic traditions with the practices of ‘learned music’ there emerged during 19th century a fascinating choral repertoire, usually known as kantades. In this workshop you will have the opportunity to learn to sing some of the most popular of these choral songs.

This workshop will be directed by Fotis Argiros, a music educator and experienced conductor of choirs.

Minimum number of participants: 4 (2 Tenors and 2 Baritones or Basses), other male voices and all female voices are also welcome.

Maximum number of participants: No upper limit.

Requirements: a basic knowledge of musical notation and solfeggio (Tonic sol-fa), and some experience of choral singing

3. Dance

While many traditional dances familiar in other parts of Greece are also found in the Ionian Islands, there are also distinctively Ionian dances which, like Ionian music, show Italian influence from the long period of Venetian occupation. In this workshop you will learn a small group of these Ionian dances.


The director of this workshop has not yet been appointed but we expect to engage an experienced dance instructor from one of the dance academies in Corfu town which specialize in traditional dance.



Minimum number of participants: 8



Maximum number of participants: No upper limit.



Requirements: An interest in dancing (extensive experience not essential), a good sense of rhythm, and stamina.



4. Drama


In this workshop you will learn, rehearse and perform an excerpt or excerpts from an 18th-century play by Petros Katsaïtis (c.1662–1742) who lived in Kephalonia. This play is based ultimately on Euripides’ tragedy Iphigeneia in Aulis, but the theme came to Katsaïtis through a 16th-century Italian intermediary. Katsaïtis’ play Iphigeneia has been successfully revised and modernised for performance by Spiros Evangelatos (also from Kephalonia), as Iphigeneia [in Lixouri] — Lixouri being one of the principal towns in Kephalonia. It is the modern version by Evangelatos (first performed in 1979, and published in 1995) that we shall be using. This entertaining and amusing play blends Greek tragedy with elements of the Italian Commedia dell’Arte. It is striking in its comic use of the Heptanesian (Ionian Islands) dialect, and — depending on the languages of the participants — it may be performed partly in Greek and partly in English. Participants will be provided in advance with the Greek text and English translations of the excerpts selected.


This workshop will be directed by Dr Konstantinos Poulis, a playwright, theatre director, actor, translator and academic, who has studied at the Panteion University in Athens, and also in England at the universities of Nottingham and Cambridge. He has translated Oscar Wilde’s first play, Vera, or the Nihilist, into Greek. He played the role of Agamemnon in a production of Iphigeneia [in Lixouri] by the Panteion University Theatre Group.


Minimum number of participants: 4



Maximum number of participants: No upper limit.



Requirements: A real eagerness to try acting is sufficient; previous experience is not essential.



5. Verse performance



While this is perhaps the most unusual of the five workshops, it is a form which has twice before been part of a Durrell School seminar. In May 2010, at the seminar on the History and Culture of the Ionian Islands, the second and most complex draft of Solomos’ unfinished masterpiece, The Free Besieged, was performed in the Greek and Italian of the original as well as in English translation, to musical accompaniment. This new workshop will range more widely, taking in the work of many poets who were born or who lived in the Ionian Islands, or whose work relates to the Ionian Islands, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Ionian poets will include Markaros, Pieris, Solomos, Sikelianos, Valaoritis and Eparchos; non-Ionian authors will include Edward Lear, Oscar Wilde and C. P. Cavafy. Texts will be performed in the original languages and in translation. The range of languages of translation will depend on the linguistic range of the participants. There will be opportunities for participants to suggest poems for inclusion and to provide translations in their own languages.



This workshop will be directed by Seán McCrum, an independent curator of innovative and often multi-media exhibitions, and Patrick Sammon, a linguist, translator and editor. Both are partners in the Durrell School of Corfu, and they have collaborated in directing many verse performance workshops, including those at the Durrell School.



Minimum number of participants: 6



Maximum number of participants: No upper limit.



Requirements: A voice, and a willingness to speak loudly and clearly in front of an audience.



Application and fees



You should have received an Application Form with this announcement. If not, please write to anthony.hirst@btinternet.com to request one. The completed application form should be emailed to the same address, or posted to Dr Anthony Hirst, 68 Palatine Road, London N16 8ST, to arrive not later than 1st July 2011, to allow us time for the preparation and circulation of advance materials for the workshops. Late applications may be considered, depending on the number already received.



For those attending the event but not presenting a paper, the registration fee is 325 euros. A deposit of 75 euros will be requested on acceptance of your application, with the balance of 250 euros payable during the event.



Those whose papers are accepted for presentation at the morning sessions will not be asked to pay the Registration Fee. They will only be asked for small contributions towards food and travel costs on excursions they take part in.

Bursaries



A small number of bursaries will probably be available to assist students from Balkan countries to attend. Bursaries will cover the Registration Fee and provide a contribution towards travel and accommodation costs. If you think you may be eligible, please write to anthony.hirst@btinternet.com for information.


Accommodation in Corfu



The website of the Durrell School of Corfu (http://www.durrell-school-corfu.org) has information about hotels. On the Home page click on “Forms & Links” (top right), and on the next page select “Accommodatios Bookings here” (on the left above the Lion of St Mark). For further advice you can contact Alexina Ashcroft, Administrative Director of the Durrell School at durrell.school@gmail.com.



Travelling to Corfu



Throughout September there are regular charter flights to Corfu from many European countries. For those coming from the UK there are scheduled flights with Easyjet: every day from London Gatwick, three times per week from Manchester and twice per week from Bristol. For those wanting a more leisurely journey, there are regular ferries from Italian ports (Venice, Ancona, Bari, Brindisi) or from Greek ports (Igoumenitsa and Patras).