Andrea Hemmenway to Be Celebrated in Memorial Concert September 27

Andrea Hemmenway 1984-2014.

As a Fulbright Scholar in 2009-2010 Andrea Hemmenway studied the music of Greece at a seminar on the island of Crete. A gifted musician with an inquisitive mind, she absorbed musical inspiration from everywhere, but was perhaps especially influenced by the Greek tradition which was part of her ethnic heritage, said her mother, Diana Sophocles Hemmenway,

Vasilis Kostas of The Pharos Ensemble.

On Friday night, September 27, that music will ring out in the sanctuary of Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, as the Pharos Ensemble — a vocal and instrumental quartet — and pianist Konstantinos Papadakis come to Swarthmore to perform in a concert celebrating Andi’s life, five years after her passing. They will be joined by family friend Zoe Mulford, a singer-songwriter and native Swarthmorean who received an International Folk Award in 2018 for Song of the Year from Folk Alliance International. The concert begins at 7. It is free and open to all.

The concert was inspired by Vasilis Kostas (he plays the lauoto), who with his fellow Pharos members, all Berklee School of Music alumni, will travel from Boston to perform. Diana explained: “My late husband Peter and I, with the help of the Danielle Rose Paikin Foundation, were able to give Vasilis a grant to attend the same seminar that Andi attended in Crete. This memorial concert was Vasilis’s idea, with deep appreciation for the assistance we provided and subsequent grants he has received from the Foundation for his work with disadvantaged children living in Athens.”

Swarthmore Presbyterian Church is at 727 Harvard Avenue. A free-will offering will be collected to benefit the Paikin Foundation, whose mission is to assist “committed and talented musicians forging connections through music in new ways.”