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TITLE: The Ragheb Moftah Collection Demonstration and Celebration
SPEAKER: His Grace Bishop Youssef, His Grace Bishop Michael, Laurence Moftah, Karen Lund, Carolyn Ramzy
EVENT DATE: 10/23/2009
RUNNING TIME: 72 minutes
DESCRIPTION:
Staff and guests gather to mark the launch of a new presentation on the Library's website on Coptic Christian chant. A demonstration of the site is given by the project curator, Carolyn Ramzy. With its roots in Ancient Egyptian music, Coptic Christian chant is one of the oldest liturgical genres still performed today. Drawing on the Ragheb Moftah Collection, this presentation explores some of the earliest music transcriptions by explorers, missionaries, and scholars in Egypt, highlighting Moftah's efforts to notate, record, and preserve all Coptic Orthodox hymns.
Speaker Biography: His Grace Bishop Youssef, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States entered the monastic life in 1986 at the El-Souryan Monastery. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1988. Then in 1989, he came to the United States under the auspices of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, the 117th Pope of the Holy See of St. Mark. In 1992, His Grace was ordained as General Bishop and in 1993, he was appointed to oversee the Southern Coptic Diocese. In 1995, he was enthroned as the first Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States.
Speaker Biography: His Grace Bishop Michael is associated with the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Mid-South Atlantic.
Speaker Biography: Laurence Moftah is Emerita for Coptic Studies at the American University in Cairo.
Speaker Biography: Karen Lund is the Digital Project Coordinator for this particular project at the Library of Congress.
Speaker Biography: Carolyn Ramzy is the Coptic Chant Web Project Curator with the Library of Congress.