Tapping Into Your Roots: A Genealogical Exploration through Viola and Voice

Over the past 30+ years, longer than I have been playing the viola, I have been exploring my family tree, absorbing the experiences of my ancestors, learning stories from my grandparents, and uncovering fascinating secrets, photos, and writings about various ancestors. Concurrently, I have spent a significant portion of my life trying to absorb the musical traditions of my Greek ancestors, largely due to my late grandfather, Stanley Karayean, who was a professional clarinetist and trumpet player.

This lecture recital is meant to share part of one of my newest musical journeys, synthesizing my appreciation for genealogical exploration with all things viola-related. My plan for this lecture recital is to present several works for viola and voice that I have been composing, sharing the stories of my ancestors. My goal is to show other musicians ways to incorporate the musical traditions of their heritage into art songs for their instrument. This will include works such as:

O’ Pro Pappou- An homage to my great-grandfather, Theodoros Karayeannis, a tailor born in Lesvos, Greece, who arrived with his wife Stavroula Papasotiriou in the USA in 1921.

An Homage to the Hudson Valley- A song set to the text of Mary Cameron Benjamin, the younger sister of my Great-great-great-grandmother, Lodoiska Cameron Belding. Mary Cameron Benjamin was born in Columbia County, NY, situated in the Hudson Valley, where her family farmed for several generations. After the Civil War, Mary and her husband, Dr. M. Francis Benjamin, a Union Army physician, relocated to Alameda, CA, where she spent the rest of her life writing poetry, and spending time in several literary circles.

Anita and Frank McGee- A song about the two younger siblings of my great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth McGee Williams (1883-1918), who emigrated to the United States from Dundee, Scotland, in the early 1900s, gave birth to her five sons, before dying during the Influenza Epidemic. Her two younger siblings, Anita and Frank McGee, were actors on the Vaudevillian Circuit, where they performed in Scottish regalia for audiences across the country.