St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church

Born in ninth-century Constantinople, Kassia the Nun was a precocious scholar, defender of icons, abbess, poet, and composer. She stands as the preeminent woman hymnographer of the Byzantine tradition. Her hymns still resound in Orthodox worship today, her voice especially echoing through Lent and Holy Week. Her most famous work, known popularly as “The Hymn of Kassianí,” is a hauntingly beautiful lament of the anonymous woman who anointed Jesus’s feet before his crucifixion. Discover Kassia’s medieval melodies as she herself sang them—before centuries of tradition shaped them into the versions Orthodox faithful know today.

Conductor: John Michael Boyer Fifty days after the Resurrection, the promised Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, descended upon the Apostles in tongues of fire—transforming frightened disciples into fearless witnesses. Orthodox Christianity has celebrated this cosmic moment with some of its most magnificent music, from ancient Byzantine chant to contemporary works from across the Orthodox world. Central to our celebration is the ecstatic Teleutaion (Final Antiphon) of the Kneeling Vespers from Cappella Romana’s acclaimed recording Byzantium in Rome. This monumental 13th-century chant from Grottaferrata Abbey near Rome features extended psalmody on Psalm 18 and exuberant settings of “Alleluia,” capturing the wonder of that first Pentecost—“speaking in tongues,” Byzantine style.