Following the warm response and high attendance levels of the public, the ‘Journey to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center’ continues its programming, having already completed a two-year long journey. This cultural and educational program is now running its fourth cycle, spreading the message of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) to 87 additional Municipal and Public Libraries across Greece, and 14 Municipalities of Attica.
The program’s objective is to introduce to the general public –with emphasis to the younger audiences- the philosophy, mission and activities of the SNFCC, which value the notion of accessibility to the arts, education, and the environment.
This year’s programming, which will take place between April 2nd and May 29th in Attica and the rest of Greece, includes the following events:
The weekly reading program “Collecting Experiences” for children, designed by Future Library in collaboration with the National Library of Greece (NLG). The event will be implemented in 87 Public and Municipal Libraries across Greece.
A few words about the action: In the future, we will continue reading, only if we have experienced readers. On the occasion of the International Children’s Book Day, on April 2nd, we suggest a seven-day reading experience to future adult readers, presenting seven different books, which will highlight the enjoyment of reading.
Having as a starting point the SNFCC educational material “Collecting Experiences”, which is based on the principle that understanding a cultural event depends on the richness of our past experiences, 87 Public and Municipal Libraries in Greece suggest books, offering a different reading experience for each day, through a variety of workshops.
In the course of one week, children participating the events will experience the peculiar activities of “reading in the dark”, “feeling younger or growing up through books” and of “discovering new books through the book they are currently reading”. Children will play with poetry, will come into contact with art making through books, and discover the magic of transferring a story to the screen. Finally, through exciting adventures in the library, they will discover the passage into the teenage years through reading.
The program will be implemented from the 2nd to the 8th of April, throughout the 87 libraries, and is addressed to primary school children of all grades.
“Suitcase Opera” performance from the Greek National Opera (GNO), of the opera Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, as well as an educational seminar of acquaintance with the Opera for teens by the GNO, entitled: Next Stop: Opera!, which will be implemented in 14 municipalities within Attica.
A few words about the performance: Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo’s most famous opera, will be presented in 14 municipalities across Attica. The performance is directed by Isidoros Sideris, with the participation of younger and distinguished soloists of the National Opera. Pagliacci tells the tragic story of Canio, the leader of a wandering troupe of Commedia dell’arte. Canio must make audiences laugh, even though he has just been informed about the infidelity of Colombina, who is played by his wife, Nedda. The boundaries between fiction and reality begin to blur, as the furious and deceived Pagliacco stabs his unfaithful wife and her lover on stage. The impressive sets and costumes are designed by Giannis Katranitsas, while Frixos Mortzos will be on the piano. Performances start on April 8th and end on May 29th.
About the educational seminar: In the 14 municipalities of Attica that will be visited by the “Suitcase Opera”, a group of instructors and artists from the Greek National Opera (GNO) will run a two-hour experiential workshop on Opera. The workshop is aimed at teenagers, with the scope of introducing to younger audiences the artistic form of the lyric theater. The GNO’s instructors, in collaboration with a distinguished pianist and a professional soloist, will encourage the students to take part in a celebration of the collaborative power of different forms of art, which after all, is the main characteristic of the opera. By utilizing elements of lyric performances, and also dramatization, they aim to activate the youngsters, renewing their perception of the opera through a unique experience.
Participation in all events is free.
The “Journey to the SNFCC” is implemented with an exclusive grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), in collaboration with the Greek National Opera, the organization Future Libraryand the support of the National Library of Greece. The Public and Municipal Libraries participating in the program of events, are members of the Future Library initiative.
You can watch a short video about the previous events here.
Detailed Program of Activities
