This was the start of something  big …. You could feel the excitement in the air ….. You could hear the animated chatter full of expectation …… It was one of those magical moments that make an impression you never forget. 

On Saturday 2 November 2024 we had the privilege and honour of attending the opening of the new library at the Metropolis in Rondebosch plus the first ever musical concert, conceived, produced and performed by members of our community. 

It was history in the making! 

His Eminence Archbishop Sergios has labored long and hard over the years to  bring to fruition a true legacy for our community for generations to come. 

Despite all sorts of ups and downs along the way His Eminence was determined to create a safe, calming, comfortable and welcoming haven at the Metropolis where young and old, students and seniors, and anyone  who just wants to immerse themselves in the glory of the written word can come along and read and relax. Or just chill out…. Soon after the roof went on the upstairs library, Professor Gerrit Kruger of Stellenbosch University donated and entrusted his entire collection of classical and ecclesiastical books to the Hellenic Community. We acknowledge his important contribution towards making Classic Greek

literature known in Afrikaans to the South African society. These, together with other books collected by our Archbishop and his predecessor Archbishop  Pavlos, make up an incredible treasure chest of reading material in English, Greek and Afrikaans.  

The idea to launch the library, as well as celebrating the 120 year anniversary of our Saint George’s Cathedral came about in February of this year when His Eminence asked Eleni Ratheb to arrange a musical concert showcasing the multiple talents of our community and youth. 

Archbishop Sergios has collected all manner of interesting, unusual and unique texts and books over the years and he never wavered in his commitment to build the library. 

Speaking to Eleni who pulled out all the stops to make this grand idea happen and take shape in such a winning way, she says:
“At first it felt quite daunting, but after praying about it I realised that I needn’t be stressed, but rather approach the task with love and gratitude for the opportunity to bring our community together. God is so faithful and provided everyone and everything we required to bring the concert together.”

It was by no means an easy task -so  many preparations, choosing the music, finding the talent to become our first community orchestra, organizing  practices with the orchestra and choir, and  the final finish to the actual building to the day and then sorting and indexing  the loaded bookcases and so much more. As you can imagine getting ready for an event of this caliber, especially by volunteers, is a huge effort. 

When everyone arrived eager to see what was in store they saw a scene beautifully set for a garden concert that was  beautifully prepared for an  evening of enjoyment beyond expectation. The lawn was manicured and the trees pruned perfectly to create a leafy canopy for the stage. 

The first order of the evening was the blessing of the library upstairs performed by His Eminence with Archimandrite Doukas and Pater Nikolaos. 

Then it was down to tuning instruments and flexing vocal cords while George Dzerefos kept everyone vibed up with his incredible saxophone playing and also provided the sound equipment and engineering, as well as his skilled Greek DJ services. 

The audience sat rapt as Evvangelos Marinakos, our MC, delivered his memorable reading of the evocative poem  “Helen” by Greek Nobel Prize Laureate George Seferis. 

He was born in Asia Minor, grew up in Greece, worked in the Foreign Ministry and as a Diplomat posted in Egypt and Pretoria. He wrote this poem “Helen” in Cyprus. The poem refers to the war that was fought in vain for Helen of Troy and the dreadful consequences on human lives. Much the same as is happening right now with the wars in Ukraine, Middle East and elsewhere. 

As we all know music and song is the very DNA of our Greek heritage  both cultural and religious. The songs for the concert were chosen from such famous maestros as Manos Hadjidakis, Lefteris Papadopoulos, Mikis Theodorakis to name a few. They are poetry put to music filled with the heart and soul of what matters to us. 

Teamwork, talent, generosity and commitment are the keys to a successful event and that means lots of behind-the-scenes going on.

That’s why heartfelt thanks need to go to the Archbishop for his great effort and hospitality, but also to his crew who helped make it stunning: 

To Dimitri Ngoie Katwebe who worked tirelessly setting up and managing things all evening. And of course to the group of ladies who  arranged the top class cocktail snacks:
Despo Theologides, who also did the decor and flowers, Angie Kolatsis , Nicole and Koula Precoudis, Fotini Coulbanis, Christina Kotsiopoulos, Helen Comninos, Tina Phelan and  Metaxia Carvounes. 

Deepest thanks goes to our very own Eleni Ratheb who was involved in all aspects of this premier performance. 

“It has been a truly heart-warming experience to work with so many talented people in our community and extremely rewarding to see the youth giving so generously of their time to create something beautiful for our community to enjoy.”

Eleni was full of praise and thanks for all who participated:
“I must spotlight the solo performances by Kamara Sivada, Alexi Geragotellis, Katerina Psillos and Meletios Kashinda who gave us a taste of the treat we are all in for in the future with their beautiful vocal gifts.

“I also want to make special mention of  Michaili Comitis for preparing the chord sheets for us as we didn’t have ready sheet music for most of our repertoire.“

“I am also deeply indebted to Katerina Psillos and Artemis Michelatos who arranged the stage, programme and coordinated the event so seamlessly.“

The audience sat rapt as Evvangelos Marinakos, our MC, delivered his memorable reading of the evocative poem  “Helen” by George Seferis.  

“I would like to thank each member of the newly formed St George’s Orchestra with George Dionysopoulos on bouzouki and guitar, Michael Comitis and Bas Angelis on piano, and Gabriel Comitis, Alexandros Rodinis and Emma September on violin.“

“And, of course, fullest thanks to   the Hellenic Choir, under the direction of our dear choir mistress Effie Saridakis, who participated and for all their sacrifices to prepare and to get to practices, which, we know, is so hard to do in this fast- paced life we all live.”

A special thank-you goes to Christo Simonse for opening up and setting up for our weekly Wednesday evening practices at the Church Hall.   

Needless to say our superb songbird Eleni, with the voice of an angel and the magnetic pull of emotion in her mellifluous tones, simply swept us away to …..η πατρίδα μας! 

So what was the general impression of our first cultural bonanza? 

Here’s a snippet of what people in the audience had to say:

“I thoroughly enjoyed it!  It was a wonderful event to remember as it involved all parts of the parish and showcased so much talent in our young people. I hope it will be the start of something big.”

“I am looking forward to an annual concert and knowing Eleni Ratheb and all concerned, it will be worth waiting for!“

The “library is not just a library – it’s a place of peace and reflection in serene surroundings. I will definitely find time to visit and just immerse myself in all sorts of wonderful words and thoughts.“

“It was a wonderful  and usual event which focused on talents I didn’t even know existed in the community.”

Alexa Parolis: “Most of us are called upon to watch. We watch TV, we watch movies and live theatre, but rarely are we called upon to listen, our eyes only allowed to drift, together with our minds, to childhood memories, to places we’ve been and to places we call our second home. This is what the musical concert at the Metropolis  evoked in many.“ 

“Not only was it really memorable and enjoyable in every way, it also  showed up the capabilities of those involved to stage such an uplifting and professional performance.“

“I think the library is a terrific idea and beautifully executed and look forward to quiet moments there.  Hats off to His Eminence Sergios for conceiving this space and Eleni Rather and her  team for producing such a great show. I  look forward to many more such events in this lovely setting.”

There you have it – high praise indeed and very well-earned by all concerned. Only one word says it all – BRAVO! 

Here’s a parting shot from Eleni :
“We put the concert together with love for our Father in Heaven, Panagia, our patron Saint George and for our community that we all value and are happy to see coming closer and closer together.”

“We hope that this will mark the start of Saint George’s Orchestra at year 120 and go from strength to strength for many more decades.”

And so say all of us ! 

( Text and photos: Pepe Sofianos)