RECENT EVENTS

2009/10 Season:

  • The 2009/10 season began on November 6 with the Annual General Meeting and a social evening. The event included an audiovisual presentation of the opening ceremonies of the new Acropolis Museum.

  • On November 28, the society celebrated the poetry of Yiannis Ritsos with a presentation on the poet by Prof. N. Poulopoulos of McGill University.

  • On January 12, the society celebrated Vassilopita Day and viewed a History Channel presentation on Byzantium.

  • The 35th anniversary of Parnassos was celebrated on February 13 at the annual Valentine’s dinner/dance, a wonderful evening of song and dance to the tunes of the Melodia Group.

  • On May 2, the society hosted a presentation on the ancient city of Kourion, Cyprus, by Prof. Stuart Swiny, Institute of Cypriot Studies, New York State University.

  • On August 21&22, Parnassos presented “A Picturesque Tour of Greece”, a narrated picture presentation of famous Greek archaeological and natural beauty sites, at the Hellenic Community of Ottawa Festival.

20010/11 Season:

  • The 2010/11 period began with a presentation on “Resurrecting the Ancient Library of Alexandria: A mega-project of historic significance”, by Hassan Eltaher, on October 12.

  • The Annual General Meeting was held on January 14 in combination with Vassilopita and a presentation of a documentary on the Battle of Marathon, by George Zarkadas.

  • The Parnassos Annual Dinner / Dance was held on February 12 at the Hellenic Community of Ottawa Centre, an evening of song and dance at the music of Vassilis Galatis. The theme was “A tribute to the battle of Marathon”.

  • On March 30, Parnassos hosted a presentation on Astronomy in Ancient Greece, by well-known amateur astronomer Dr. Steve Wendt.

  • On April 3, in cooperation with the Hellenic Community of Ottawa, Parnassos hosted “Singing a 2500-year-old Story” with Montreal opera singers Maria Diamantis and Dimitris Ilias. The presentation used song, stories and images to tell the story of the Battle of Marathon, an epic clash that was pivotal to the birth of democracy, and gave birth to the most important event – the marathon race –of modern Olympics.

  • On May 8, Parnassos hosted a presentation on “The Kyrenia Ship”, by Laina Wylde Swiny, Curator of the Semitic Museum, Harvard University. The presentation focused on the recovery and restoration of a 2300-year old ship found off the port of Kyrenia (Cyprus) in the late 1960's.

  • The 2010/11 season was brought to a close with four repeat presentations of “A Picturesque Tour of Greece”, at the Hellenic Community of Ottawa Festival. August 10-21.

Members of Parnassos singing the “Kalanda” prior to cutting the “Vasilopita”
Members of Parnassos singing the "Kalanda" prior to cutting the "Vasilopita"


2011 Cutting of the Vassilopita (Left to right V. Zafiriou, C. Kapsalis, M. Kapsalis, M. Zafiriou, E. Tryphonas, Ambassador E. Aghelopoulos, A. Vikis, D. Karakasis and E. Psarras)
2011 Cutting of the Vassilopita (Left to right V. Zafiriou, C. Kapsalis, M. Kapsalis, M. Zafiriou, E. Tryphonas,
Ambassador E. Aghelopoulos, A. Vikis, D. Karakasis and E. Psarras)


Parnassos 2011 Dinner/Dance (Left to right: His Excellency, Mr. E. Aghelopoulos, ambassador of Greece, Dr. A.C. Vikis, president, Mrs. A. Vikis, and Mr. Yannos Roussos, treasurer)(photo courtesy G. Kanellakos)
Parnassos 2011 Dinner/Dance (Left to right: His Excellency, Mr. E. Aghelopoulos, ambassador of Greece,
Dr. A.C. Vikis, president, Mrs. A. Vikis, and Mr. Yannos Roussos, treasurer)(photo courtesy G. Kanellakos)


Members of Parnassos dancing Greek folk dances at the 2011Annual Dinner/Dance
Members of Parnassos dancing Greek folk dances at the 2011Annual Dinner/Dance


“Singing a 2500-year Old Story” stars Dimitris Ilias and Maria Diamantis (fifth and sixth from the right) surrounded by the event’s organizing committee and members of the Parnassos executive.
"Singing a 2500-year Old Story" stars Dimitris Ilias and Maria Diamantis (fifth and sixth from the right)
surrounded by the event’s organizing committee and members of the Parnassos executive.


Members of Parnassos at a lunch meeting with His Excellency the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Anastasiadis (third from the right)
Members of Parnassos at a lunch meeting with His Excellency the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus,
Mr. Anastasiadis (third from the right)

To see pictures taken from past events, visit the Photo Gallery.