Greek and German Choirs Unite at Berlin Cathedral in Emotional Concert for Europe

On 3 October — German Unity Day — around 240 Greeks and Germans united at Berlin Cathedral in a joint concert organised by the Chios Music Festival and Berlin's Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, with support from the Greek-German Youth Foundation. Thirty-eight students from the Chios Music School travelled to Berlin to join their German counterparts, performing a programme that ranged from Mendelssohn, Poulenc, Britten, and Lewandowski to the contemporary Greek works "Ora kali" by Michalis Adamis and "Messa Latina" by Yannis Christou. Artistic director Kai-Uwe Jirka conducted the Berlin ensemble and explained the event's philosophy in an interview, asking: "What is Germany without Europe? And what is Europe without Greece?" The collaboration was a reciprocal one: more than 50 Berlin choristers had spent a week on Chios during the island's 10th Music Festival last August, giving concerts at various venues across the island. The Chios group stayed eight days in the German capital and took part in three concerts in total. After the service, the musical encounter continued outside on the cathedral steps overlooking the Lustgarten, where the choirs and a large crowd sang together as part of the "Sing for Europe!" initiative.