Apostolos Combitsis in Toms River, NJ USA
Fr. Ephraim at the Monastery of St-Anthony in Arizona, USA
Fr. Odysseas Drossos in Markham, Ontario, Canada
Fr. Elias Drossos in London, Ontario Canada
...and myself in Pittsburgh, USA
NB: There are many "self-taught" individuals who claim they understand BM in the US, but the reality is that, competent they may be to serve a parish, they do not possess the depth, nor have they been systematically taught by traditional chanters (the old timers in Greece and elsewhere who have an international acclaim and respect). Such people, useful as they are to offer an overview and a basic tutelage, eventually cannot help someone who really wants to progress beyond Ni-Pa-Vou.
The National Forum of Church Musicians of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in the USA and their appointed experts fall into the above designation. Sadly, the National Forum avoids engaging the few knowledgeable and traditionally-trained chanters in the USA (Nikos Georgafentis, Iraklis Panagiotidis, Dimitrios Papas, Apostolos Combitsis above and the small remainder......).
Soon, there will be a School of Byzantine Music that will be unique in character and accessible at a distance in real time, with links to respected and acclaimed "elder" chanters in Greece. It will involve a number of the traditionally-trained chanters in the US in live broadcasts and Q&A periods, as well as a library of in-depth systematic lessons, and it is a project of the American Society of Byzantine Music and Hymnology (
www.asbmh.pitt.edu). Most importantly, it will be free to all with an annual three-four week intensive course and on site tutelage in Pittsburgh (projected to begin this summer).
Look at this link for now:
http://www.asbmh.pitt.edu/page21/page21.html
NG.