Fondation Kaloy for Arts and Culture thanks journalist Mr. Nikos Vatopoulos for his substantive and insightful presentation of the Foundation’s journey and mission, as well as the newspaper Kathimerini for its hospitality and the space it dedicates to regional cultural activities.
The emergence of Corinth as a place of contemporary artistic creation and education, in conjunction with the steady support of the Municipality of Corinth, the Region of Peloponnese, and the Foundation’s institutional and private sponsors, highlights the importance of collaboration for the sustainability of culture.
The Foundation continues to consistently invest in young people and music education, serving a culture of lasting value, responsibility, and genuine social impact!
Kathimerini, page 15
SPOTLIGHT
By Nikos Vatopoulos
The Cultural Incubator of Corinth
In its ten years of operation, Fondation Kaloy in Corinth has achieved something objectively rare: to establish a place in the country’s cultural map and to develop into both a future hub for young musicians and a reference point for every kind of spiritual movement. Its recent award from the Union of Greek Theatre and Music Critics, for its collaboration with the Municipality of Athens (an award given by an institutional body active mainly in the capital), reinforced the nationwide recognition of the Kalogeropouleio, which, through its charitable roots in the city, shows what can be achieved when there is vision.
“Fondation Kaloy has become a stable point of reference not only for Corinth. Our alliances with major cultural bodies, our concerts, our educational programmes, our presentations and book launches, our art and photography exhibitions, our theatrical performances, have made it a place of cultural continuity,” says Maria Christara, President of the Foundation and the person credited with the Foundation’s success.
Nikolaos Ath. Kalogeropoulos (1925–2014) was a visionary who left his homonymous foundation to the people of Corinth, dedicated to his memory. “He was a calm man, cultivated, deeply introverted,” says Mrs. Christara. “His studies in philosophy and his work at the United Nations gave him a great sense of the weight of words. He believed that art opens paths, never following a predictable upward course – that took the Foundation and its humanitarian legacy in that direction. His wish was the initiation of Corinthian youth into culture.” He had settled in Geneva as a member of international organisations, known as Nicolas Kaloy (his legal name under his Swiss citizenship).
“We are trying to persuade the authorities on the value and importance of this initiative. We have already made some progress: the Region of Peloponnese and the Municipality of Corinth are now supporting us. We believe this important award will ‘introduce’ us to major foundations, so as to support our activities and thus give more children access to them. The Foundation was distinguished on the basis that it constitutes a hub of artistic and educational activity of Panhellenic scope, centred on classical music, while also functioning as a nurturing environment for young artists. “Most of our teachers have been with us since the Foundation began operating in 2015,” explains Mrs. Christara. “Little by little, an entire network of collaborators has formed, functioning with faith in the goal. Like a wheel, one draws in the other, becoming a central member of the group around the shared idea of offering. Besides, whatever my age, I counter it with youthful stubbornness – and that motivates them”.
Students learn to work collaboratively. “Many children who started here are now university students. Some now perform in Athens’ orchestras while still students, taking part in concerts and evolving, not only as musicians but as sensitive citizens.” The Foundation wishes to contribute to broader mutual education.
Caption: Union of Greek Theatre and Music Critics Award to the Foundation for its collaboration with the Municipality of Athens.
Photo caption: The President of Fondation Kaloy Maria Christara, with stage director Pantelis Voulgaris during his visit to the Foundation.
