Last night and the previous Thursday we went to the tiny Anglican Church here in Old Corfu Town to attend their summer festival. On the Thursday we were entertained by two lovely girls from The UK playing a variety of music on violin/viola and clarinet - they were wonderful. Lat night it was students from the Ionian University playing violin, cello and the flute giving us a fantastic display of their talents. They could only play a few pieces for us before rushing off to play on a "rival" concert in St George's Church in the Old Fort complex.
The second half was given by three local Greek performers playing piano and flute with the added surprise of a tenor delighting us all with some Puccini arias. He sat impassively in a rather disheveled crumpled suit waiting patiently to perform. We thought initially that he was just someone who had come along to help. When he took his place behind the music stand, composed himself, clasped his hands below his "pottish" tummy and began to sing - we were all blasted into orbit by the power and beauty of his voice. When we (all 40 of us) kept applauding him, he demurely bowed with his right hand across his heart and smiled the most infectious smile you have ever seen. Throughout the evening he sang another two times and had us in tears with the beauty of it all.
The festival was in aid of the church which is in dire financial straits - it has been in existence since 1870 and keeps surviving on a month-to-month basis.
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