My Greek Drama: Life, Love, and One Woman's Olympic Effort to Bring Glory to Her Country

BOOK REVIEW

This true story of Gianna Angelopoulos describes her incredible life, from a young Greek girl in Crete, to a lawyer and a politician.  Her determination to succeed at whatever she chose to accomplish is commendable. We read about her family, and how as a simple, young girl living on the island of Crete, she collected stones and caught crabs in the streams, and stomped on grapes in the vat with her sister, while dreaming of becoming an Ambassador one day. She did fulfill her dream, and much, much more.

Intent on broadening her horizons, Angelopoulos attended law school in Thessaloniki, and later became a sophisticated lawyer in Athens. Her persistence and hard work ultimately earned her a position as a member of the Greek Parliament. That position propelled her forward in the public eye, and gave her an opportunity to meet Theodore Angelopoulos, a very wealthy man whose magnate family was well known throughout the world.

They fell in love and married; and what a wonderful romantic tale. This union was to seal the fate of the future summer Greek Olympics. Mrs. Angelopoulos left the Greek Parliament and focused on her family in Lausanne, Switzerland. However, in 1997, an important matter was brought before her. She was asked by the Prime Minister of Greece to lead the bidding committee for the 2004 Olympics. With her husband’s financial backing and support, Mrs. Angelopoulos forged ahead, becoming a leader of the bidding committee for the 2004 Olympics in 1997. With Rome as a hot contender, Greece had to work exceedingly hard to convince the Olympics Committee of their commitment and ability to host the summer Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. Athens won the bid, and the victory was priceless. However, when all was said and done, Mrs. Angelopoulos and her husband had spent millions to see this happen, without any financial support from the Greek government. Mrs. Angelopoulos endured insult after insult by the Greek government, and exhausted from all her work, left Greece to be with her family in England.

Three years later, this same woman was asked by the Greek Prime Minister to lead the organizational committee for the Olympics. Very little, if anything, had been done up until then to prepare Greece for the Olympics, and the IOC was threatening to give the Olympics to another country. Mrs. Angelopoulos rose to the challenge. With only four years, the amazing achievements accomplished by this woman were surely phenomenal. Of course, she gives credit to all the people who helped make the Olympics in Athens a memorable event, particularly her loving husband. The Greeks also rose to the occasion, and over 160,000 people volunteered for the Olympics, and 45,000 were chosen.

This is a story of a love-hate relationship with Greece, one that had Mrs. Angelopoulos achieving spectacular results for her country, and then leaving to nurse her family as well as her wounds, then returning to Greece to help with the Olympics.  We learn about the extraordinary life of this woman who had to fight for everything she wanted, and who succeeded.

I highly recommend this book not only as a documentary of a unique woman’s life, but a story that depicts hope and promise for all the women who struggle to achieve their dreams. Mrs. Angelopoulos has written the blueprint for success in her book, and this will be treasured for years to come.  In addition, the historical documentation, the delightful and entertaining moments that the author shares with the readers, and the many photographs that tell a story of their own, are all priceless. This story lifts the spirit to even higher heights and gives one hope that there are people like Mrs. Angelopoulos in this world of ours, making it a better place to live in.

Her book is available as hardcover or kindle:
Click here to see her book on Amazon:

String Ensemble Concert

Today I will be performing in a string ensemble concert at the Hagerstown Community College in Maryland. This is the first time I will be performing violin with this ensemble, consisting of young and older students. I began this course several months ago on a cold January evening, hoping to see if I could play the violin. Being a violist all my life, this was a switch for me. I had to do it because of my neck injury a few years ago. I tried playing viola again last year, but I constantly felt pain while playing. The violin, however, is smaller and doesn't seem to cause pain like the viola does. So I have been playing that these past few months.

The violin really is a more interesting instrument. It is smaller, and daintier, but gives a lot of wallop when needed. It will croon, cry, laugh, squeal and do anything to get your attention! I am enjoying playing it, and the music is infinitely more interesting than the viola music of the past.

The string ensemble will be playing music by Sibelius, Albinoni, and Mozart (Eine Kleine Nactmusik). It will be followed by a choral concert given by students of HCC.

If I get a good recording of the concert, I will include it here.

Book Review: Cicada's Choice by Nitsa Olivadoti

A recent book review I did on a Greek author, Nitsa Olivdati, on her new book Cicada's Choice is now available on Amazon.com. Here is the book review:

"In reading Cicada's Choice I was immediately immersed in a different world, one filled with hope, fears, dreams, and a will for life. The setting is post-war Greece, and the clarity of thought, richness of culture, religious piety, and purity of actions of this Greek family is well documented here.

This story is about the author's grandmother, Eleni, whose nickname Tzitzika translates in English to cicada. She was affectionately called that name by family and friends in Greece because she buzzed around and was always singing, full of positive energy. My attention was captured from the beginning, as beautiful, sixteen-year-old Eleni embarks on her journey to America in 1950 to join her husband. Eleni is very attached to her mother and their separation is particularly touching. The author's expressive words, poetic and poignant at the same time, capture this moment very well.

Flashbacks from Eleni's past reveal how she came to leave for America. We read about young Eleni's experience during World War II in Greece, and its terrible effect on everyone around her. As Eleni grows up, we learn about Yianni, her childhood friend who is in love with her. The arrival of a mysterious handsome foreigner, George, captures Eleni's interest. George has already chosen someone to marry, but when he sees beautiful Eleni, he decides that he wants to marry her instead.

This book speaks across all cultures with the reality that difficult decisions need to be made in the most difficult of times. It was very difficult to put the book down and I enjoyed it immensely. I recommend it as reading for those interested in Greece, its culture, and its people as well as those interested in history, war, family, love, and sacrifice.

"Cicada's Choice" is the first novel in a series that the talented author, Nitsa Olivadoti, has written. I am looking forward to reading the second novel "Cicada's Consequence," which is scheduled to come out in the summer of 2013."

Here is the link to the book on Amazon.com (e-book):
http://www.amazon.com/Cicadas-Choice-ebook/dp/B00AH2LT8S/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Book Review: Pearls of Wisdom by John Kyriazoglou

Periodically, I do book reviews for Greek authors and other authors. Recently, I did a book review for John Kyriazoglou's book Pearls of Wisdom.



"It is known that ancient Greece contributed much to western civilization, including politics, art, literature, and philosophy. In this book, Mr. Kyriazoglou has carefully combined ancient Greek maxims and quotations from such famous resources as the Oracle of Delphi and the Seven Sages, as well as Greek philosophers to be applied to our hectic, modern life. The author believes that by reflecting and applying these “pearls of wisdom” modern individuals as well as businesses would lead better lives.

These ancient quotations are priceless and timeless. Thousands of years after they were written, we can still benefit greatly from what ancient wisdom offers. One of my favorite quotes from the book is by Pericles: “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

The author uses excellent examples of how these ancient Greek maxims and quotations are relevant today. I highly recommend reading this book, which will be an important resource for every person intent on bettering his or her life as well as the environment around them."



Here is the link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Wisdom-Ancient-Greece-ebook/dp/B007YNPR8Q/

CVSM Community Orchestra Concert

CVSM stands for : Cumberland Valley School of Music and the school is located in Wilson College, Chambersburg, PA. The community string orchestra consists of students from the school as well as performers from the community. I had the honor of playing in the first violin section with the orchestra this year.

This is my first time playing violin with an orchestra, although I have played violin in several small groups, and have also taught violin privately. I have played the viola most of my life, and later, professionally.

Due to a neck injury, I have turned to the violin and find it an easier instrument to play because it is smaller than a viola and weighs less.

I have included the link to the community orchestra's spring concert below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvUNkinIB7k

Concert Event - CVSM Community String Orchestra

I am honored to be playing violin in the Cumberland Valley School of Music Community String Orchestra. Our upcoming concert is on March 26, 2013 at 8pm at the chapel at Wilson College, Chambersburg, PA. The concert is free and will include music by Mozart and Handel.

For years I played the viola and with several different orchestras. I also played professionally and have taught violin/viola privately. This is my first year that I have switched permanently to playing the violin. The reason is that I incurred a neck injury from a fall a few years back and this kept me from playing viola. With time, vitamins, and supplements, I began playing again. I noticed that the viola is a much bigger instrument than the violin and stressed my neck easily. Therefore, by switching to the violin, which is a smaller instrument, I have been able to continue my love of playing music.

I joined the community orchestra as a way for me to continue playing, but in a more relaxed atmosphere. As soon as the concert is recorded, I will try and include it here.