Congratulations to Dr. Alexander Lingas who has been invited to lead a Byzantine Chant ensemble for the Coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, 2023. It was a desire of the new monarch to honor his late father, Prince Philip, by including Greek Orthodox music in the service as an homage to his father’s ancestral heritage.

A small group of highly skilled chanters from the UK and Greece has been assembled to perform at the Coronation. “As a scholar and practitioner of the ancient traditions of Byzantine chant, I am deeply honored to have been asked to help realize the request of His Majesty, King Charles III that the Coronation include a musical tribute to his late father, His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” stated Lingas. “Integrating Greek psalmody into the equally ancient rites of the Coronation Service is a profound and beautiful demonstration of the deep appreciation for Orthodox Christianity long shown by both His Majesty and the late Duke of Edinburgh.”

“We are very proud of Alexander and his musical accomplishments which have led to this honor,” stated His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos. “He has been a leader in the development of quality Byzantine music resources and his participation in the Coronation of King Charles III will be yet another opportunity to showcase our faith through music to a worldwide audience.”

Lingas is Music Director and founder of Cappella Romana, is a Professor Emeritus of Music at City, University of London, and a Research Fellow of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (Cambridge, UK). His present work embraces not only historical study but also ethnography and performance. In 2018 His All-Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, bestowed on him the title of Archon Mousikodidáskalos. He is currently the Spring 2023 Artist in Residence at the Institute of Sacred Arts at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, New York.

AXIOS!