With the participation of more than 150 students from 22 schools, the 9th Pancyprian Student Song Festival "Marios Tokas - Costas Montis" 2017-2018 took place last week at the Lanitio Theater in Limassol.
The Festival was organized by the Directorate of Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture, with co-organizer and sponsor the Public Benefit Scientific and Cultural Foundation "Fotos Fotiadis".
According to today's announcement of the Ministry of Education, the goal of the Festival, in the context of the four-year special strategic planning for the promotion of vocal music in the music education of the place and society, was the creation and presentation of songs with lyrics by the poet Costas Montis, other Greeks and Cypriot poets or even the children themselves.
Specifically, this year's special tribute to the poet Vassilis Michailidis for the 100 years since his death, gave the impetus to several of the young creators to meet and set to music his poems.
More than 150 students from 22 public and private Gymnasiums, Lyceums and Technical Schools participated with their compositions in the preliminary phase of selecting the songs for the final presentation.
Thirteen songs were selected from the total number of entries, creations of students, including the Lyceum of Kokkinochorion, and the Music School (Lyceum and Gymnasium) of Famagusta:
- Kokkinohorion High School
- Famagusta Music High School - Kokkinochorion High School
- Kokkinochorion High School - Famagusta Music High School
- Acropolis High School - Nicosia Music High School
- Arch. Makarios C 'Platy High School
- Lyceum Ag. Georgiou Larnaca - Larnaca Music High School
- Livadia High School
- Lyceum of Arch. Makarios C 'Dasoupolis
- Aradippou High School
- Makarios High School of Larnaca
- Paphos Music High School - A 'Ethn. Makarios III
Then, the selected groups had the opportunity to collaborate with the well-known composers Adonis Aletra, George Karvello, Marina Kountouridou, Andro Papapavlou and Louka Xenofontos, who shared with the students their knowledge and experience and worked with them to prepare the final presentation, leaving the best impressions.
An announcement of the Famagusta Music School states that as every year the students deal with issues that "touch" the sensitive strings of people, so this year their compositions were about the nostalgia of Smyrna, the covetedreturn to the beloved Famagusta as well as composition of the lyrics of our great poet Vassilis Michailidis "Towards them saying…".
In its announcement, the school congratulates the teachers-musicians Marina Panagiotou, Gina Charalambous and Nasia Kamenou who "laid down their souls in this activity as well", as well as the students of the school.
A touching moment in the festival was the participation of the students of the Music School of Famagusta and the Lyceum of Kokkinochorion Fotis Pitta who presented the composition of Kyriakoula Kyriazi "The Return of Famagusta" with responsible teacher Mr. Spyros Spyrou.
The lyrics of the chorus are addressed to the coveted return to the beloved city!
"Famagusta will open
Like a mother to join us
Silently waiting for us
The return, the return awaits! "
We wish the children's song to be heard soon by the "adults"!
Famagusta.News
