THE MAGIC RECORDER IN THE CANADIAN PARLIAMENT

Cross-Atlantic Musical Magic
Senators Pana Merchant and Leo Housakos
to Host the Magic Recorder in Parliament

December 8, 2011 - Ottawa, Ontario
On Thursday, December 8, 2011, Senators Pana Merchant and Leo Housakos hosted a presentation of a massive children's audiovisual production featuring 54 Canadian children, 20 Greek Children and a Canadian Symphonic orchestra performing in a children's DVD titled "I Magiki Flogera" (The Magic Recorder). The presentation was held at the Government Conference Centre, located at 2 Rideau Street in Ottawa.
Putting a creative spin on the classic German story of the Pied Piper, The Magic Recorder is a musical tale of ingratitude, greed, and compassion that has been adapted into a book and CD for children as well as a DVD which includes all the songs in the form of music video. This theatrical romp is the product of a successful partnership between Canada and Greece, during which two different children's choirs -- one from Montreal and one from Athens -- came together to perform in an innovative cross-cultural audiovisual project.
The Chroma Musika/Socrates children's choir from Montreal is comprised of over fifty children of Hellenic origin together with the Ta Zouzounia children's choir of Athens and the symphony orchestra Ensemble Sinfonia de Montréal, the project involved Greek and Canadian artistic professionals from both sides of the Atlantic. All in all, over 200 people participated in the making of The Magic Recorder. Chroma Musika Canada and Modern Times Publishers (in Greece) are both committed to familiarizing children with classical music and literature, and the partnership proved to be a fruitful one.
The book/CD version of the story has already been presented in the Montreal City Hall, the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal and in the launch event in Athens, which was held in the Dimitris Horn Theatre with the support of the Embassy of Canada. The CD surpassed Justin Bieber in the Greek charts bringing the Canadian children in the forefront of most major Greek Media Outlets.
Senators Housakos and Merchant celebrated the last stage of this magical musical trip because the Canadian and Greek children not only sung together recording the musical but also danced and acted together for the DVD in front of a green screen communicating with the directors through Skype. During the event on the 8th of December the children from Montreal sung excerpts from the Magic Recorder while Chroma Musika Directors Maria Diamantis and Dimitris presented a how-it was made video.
Next evening on the 9th of December the City of Laval and VP Executive Committeee Basile Angelopoulos hosted the children of the Magic Recorder in the City Hall. In the end of the presenattion the children got to sign the Golden Book of the City.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• The Magic Recorder
• Η Μαγική Φλογέρα
• Chroma Musika
• Modern Times
• Parliament of Canada
• Laval City Hall
• Embassy of Greece in Canada
• AHEPA Canada
• Senator Leo Housakos
• Senator Pana Papas Merchant