Hello!

[harfo32]

The loves in my life are music, both playing and listening, painting, writing, photography, flying, eating and drinking and the children I teach.

Having abandoned the world of accountancy for the world of music many years ago, I studied at the Royal College of Music with Ralph Downes, designer and curator of the Organ in London's Royal Festival Hall, and have a performer's degree from the Royal College and a Post Graduate degree as a teacher.

For the past eighteen years I have lived on the slopes of Mount Olympus in Greece, where I teach English and Music, paint pictures, take photos, cook and eat good food, discuss the weather with my cat and drive the neighbours mad playing the 2 manual digital organ I have in my house.

I enjoy travelling - in the past two years I have visited Australia and Norway on organ crawls - playing some wonderful instruments in both countries.

John Foss

 

[Frederik.Sjölund]

Welcome to the boards!
We all have one thing in common here at this place, and its probably the love for music.
Most likely.. at least i think so. Yeah.

Cya around!

 

[Lotus80]

Hello John,

Welcome to MIMF

I hope you'll enjoy your stay here.

Cheers, Lotus80

 

[corno]

Hi Harfo32/John,

Welcome aboard!

- Sounds interesting about Greece - howcome you chose Greece? - From your painting and links elsewhere in the forums here it looks like a very nice place to live.

Thomas

 

[Christine Callisen]

Hi John

Welcome to MIMF - looking forward to hear more about your interests.

Christine

 

[Jette]

Hi John

Welcome to MIMF

I hope you will enjoy it here and I´m looking forward to seeing you around

Jette

 

[rojo]

Hello and welcome, harfo32/John!

Looking forward to reading some of your posts here!

 

[harfo32]

Thanks everyone for your friendly welcome. Greece sort of chose me - an English friend of mine, whose children I taught music to, had taught at a school in Katerini where I live. I was grumbling about the weather in England so he suggested I took a break. He phoned his friends up and - voila. I only intended on staying for 6 months, but I am now in my 18th year here. I enjoy reading other people's posts and seeing what they have to say. I hope I can contribute something constructive.
You can read about one of the organs I played in Norway a few weeks ago, the 2002 Torkildsen organ in Levanger on my website, http://www.organsandorganistsonline.com/ It is in the Organs of Interest section > Norway > Levanger. It includes photographs and a description and we should be adding some sound files later today - Jarle Fagerheim, who is a member of this forum (and recommended it to me) and I are playing music by Bach. Jarle is in charge of the Public Downloads area and updates. You can hear some music that Jarle and I recorded during July and August this year in the members area (free - but necessary to stop spammers) taken from recitals Jarle gave in Stavanger Cathedral and Egersund and I gave in Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim on the 1740 Wagner organ.
So - thank you for making me feel at home!
John Foss

 

[Rune Vejby]

Welcome, John!

 

[Frederik Magle]

Welcome John!

Glad to have you aboard - hope to see you around often!

Kind regards
Frederik

 

[ApeXX]

Thanks everyone for your friendly welcome. Greece sort of chose me - an English friend of mine, whose children I taught music to, had taught at a school in Katerini where I live. I was grumbling about the weather in England so he suggested I took a break. He phoned his friends up and - voila. I only intended on staying for 6 months, but I am now in my 18th year here. I enjoy reading other people's posts and seeing what they have to say. I hope I can contribute something constructive.
You can read about one of the organs I played in Norway a few weeks ago, the 2002 Torkildsen organ in Levanger on my website, http://www.organsandorganistsonline.com/ It is in the Organs of Interest section > Norway > Levanger. It includes photographs and a description and we should be adding some sound files later today - Jarle Fagerheim, who is a member of this forum (and recommended it to me) and I are playing music by Bach. Jarle is in charge of the Public Downloads area and updates. You can hear some music that Jarle and I recorded during July and August this year in the members area (free - but necessary to stop spammers) taken from recitals Jarle gave in Stavanger Cathedral and Egersund and I gave in Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim on the 1740 Wagner organ.
So - thank you for making me feel at home!
John Foss

I have actually traveled to Greece twice and I must say, it is a beautiful city. Only two other cities that can compare are Rome and Venice. Rome has become slightly Americanized, however the locals do an amazing job keeping the Ancient Rome feeling. I was actually planning on going to Sicily for an exchange trip last year around Thanksgiving, however all the flights were booked. The cheapest I could get was around $500 round-trip, which is a little out of my price range.

 

[harfo32]

There is a lot more to Greece than just Athens! In fact, I am not very fond of Athens - it's a bit bustly and impersonal - but it has some good features.
The Peloponese is probably my favourite area - everywhere you go is history. Ancient cities like Nemea, Olympia, Corinth, Epidavros, Nafplion - the list is endless! And so much of it is unspoilt.
Here in Northern Greece, around the slopes of Mount Olympus, there are some magnificent ruins. Dion, where Alexander the Great set out to conquer the world 2,250 years ago, is just down the road from my house. Arguably the world's first organ, the Hydravlis, was built here - Alexander went from Dion to Alexandria, not the other way round, and the remains of a Hydravlis have been found here and can be seen in the museum. Vergina, Palace of Alexander's father, Philip of Macedonia, Pella, the birthplace of Alexander, the harbour at Pydna from where Paul set sail when being pursued by the Romans - I could go on for ever!
We have an official website for Pieria, which is the county in which Mount Olympus is situated. Katerini, where I live, is the county town and administrative centre.
http://www.pieria-tourism.gr/en/
John Foss

 

[Trebbien]

Hello harfo32

Welcome aboard MIMF

Trebbien