Jersey City, NJ – John Baboukis, a Greek-American scholar, conductor, and composer, passed away unexpectedly in Jersey City on Saturday, November 23rd, after over two decades of work in Egypt.
“It is with deep sadness that I announce the sudden passing of my father, Dr. John Baboukis, in Jersey City on November 23, 2024,” his daughter Hillary wrote on Facebook.
Born in 1955, Baboukis was well-known for his significant contributions to Egypt’s music and music education during his 20+ years in the country. His enduring interest in ancient musical forms led him to Egypt, where he continuously explored "the connections between Arabic music and Greek music, Byzantine chant, and early Western medieval music."
Baboukis earned his Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, making history as the first doctoral student to submit a Requiem Mass for chorus, orchestra, and soloists as their original work. He composed a substantial body of vocal music, as well as chamber music and works for piano, harpsichord, clavichord, and organ.
With extensive teaching experience, Baboukis taught conducting and choral conducting at universities in the United States and Canada. His expertise in early music, focusing on the medieval and Renaissance vocal repertoire, led him to found and conduct the Saint Paul Early Music Ensemble, Les voix médiévales de Montréal, and the Lions of Cairo.
In 2005, Baboukis joined the American University in Cairo as an associate professor and director of the music program, a position he held until his retirement earlier this year. He taught music theory and literature, directed the AUC Chamber Singers, and mentored various musical ensembles during his tenure.
Baboukis also served as the conductor of the Cairo Choir and the Cairo Festival Orchestra. For the past 12 years, he led these ensembles in performing major works from the Western choral repertoire, including Charpentier's Mass in D minor and Te Deum, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Creation and Nelson Mass, Mendelssohn's Elijah and Schicksalslied, Beethoven's Mass in C major and Choral Fantasy, Mozart's Requiem, and Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms and Vivaldi's Gloria.
He also founded and co-directed the Lions of Cairo, specializing in medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Western music. Numerous compositions were created and premiered in Egypt during his time there. His concerto for bassoon and string orchestra, "Three Walks in Zamalek," was premiered in 2013 with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
He is survived by his wife Johanna (Jody), daughter Hillary, and son Gregory.
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