Mary Calfas Janos Program Fund

The Mary Calfas Janos Program Fund supports music-related programming. The fund, established by the Janos Family Trust, is named in memory of Mary Calfas Janos (1929-2022), a UCLA alumna and Los Angeles resident who loved opera, reading, and Greek food, music, dance, and art. Calfas Janos was an active member of the Hellenic University Club of Southern California, which was conferred to UCLA in 2019.

Janos was one of seven children born to parents from the beautiful village of Eressos on the island of Lesvos, Greece. Although the family originally settled in Connecticut upon arrival in the United States, they moved to Los Angeles in 1948. Mary and three of her siblings attended UCLA. Following her graduation, she worked for the City of Santa Monica as a teacher of reading. She and her husband, Cleon Janos, also of Greek descent, loved to travel and among much else volunteered together as docents at the J. Paul Getty Museum. She regularly spent time in Greece visiting family and friends and frequently returned to her family’s village with cousins and other relatives.

On October 27, 2024, the Center, with the assistance of the Mary Calfas Janos Program Fund, will offer a performance by the acclaimed vocal ensemble, Cappella Romana, “In the Footsteps of St. Demetrios.” Held on the weekend of the saint’s feast day, this newly composed program will focus on the rich musical heritage of Thessaloniki, Byzantium’s second city and one closely connected to Mount Athos. The performance, co-sponsored by the UCLA Department of Music, will take place in the Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The event is being held under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in Los Angeles and the Metropolis of San Francisco.