NY Times Review of the Patriarch Tikhon Choir
Editor’s note: The NY Times has published a very nice review of the St-Tikhon Choir’s concert led by Vladimir Gorbik. Here is an excerpt of the review. The Patriarch Tikhon Choir, a mixed-voice professional ensemble of 35 American, Canadian and Russian singers, was formed recently to focus on Orthodox Christian sacred music, a tradition it…
Continue reading »The Reader’s Guide to Orthodox Icons
One of the best websites/blogs devoted to iconology on the internet is a blog called The Reader’s Guide to Orthodox Icons. This blog is done anonymously and is truly a wonderful storehouse of information on icons, their typology, symbolism and spiritual significance. The tone of the blog is extremely warm and non-polemical, addressing most of the…
Continue reading »Bell Ringing in Scripture and Liturgy, from BLAGOVEST BELLS
Dear Readers, We have had a request for articles on liturgical bell ringing, so I am pleased to offer this excellent piece prepared by Mark Galperin and John Burnett of BLAGOVEST BELLS: Dear Brothers and Sisters: Church bell ringing is an intrinsic and permanent part of the Orthodox liturgical and musical tradition. It is deeply rooted…
Continue reading »Recent Design Work for Orthodox New Mexico
It has been my great joy this summer to devote some of my attention to Orthodox Christianity in New Mexico. Northern New Mexico has a strikingly different history and cultural context than the rest of the United States. It began as a colony of New Spain, an Imperial establishment at the absolute edge of the…
Continue reading »The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher (pt.2): Encountering Saint-Christopher
This is post 2 of 2 in the series “The Dog Headed Icon of St-Christopher” Jonathan Pageau traces the pattern of meaning in Dog-headed representations of St-Christopher and how they relate to our experience of the world. Understanding The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher (pt.2): Encountering Saint-Christopher In my last article…
Continue reading »Catholic Liturgical Furnishings From Ouspensky Disciple
Leonid Ouspensky, from his apartment/studio in Paris taught many young artists and created some of the finest iconography and iconographers of the 20th century. Recently, one of his pupils, Joris (George) Van Ael, came to my attention. Van Ael’s style is strongly reminiscent of others of the Ouspensky school like Fr. Patrick Doolan and Matushka…
Continue reading »Notes from the psalterion, updated and annotated — part V, in which bricks and mortar concerns are considered
This is post 5 of 6 in the series “Notes from The Psalterion” Richard Barrett gives us practical advice for the discipline of liturgical music in a local parish context. Notes from the psalterion, updated and annotated – Part I, First Principles Notes from the psalterion, updated and annotated – Part II, Getting Started Notes…
Continue reading »Interview With Russian Enamelist Evgeny Baranov
(A few months ago I posted some magnificent enamel icons by Russian artist Evgeny Baranov. So impressed was I at his skill that I asked him if he would accept to do an interview for us. What came out of this interview is not only his personal story as an artist, which is fascinating, but also…
Continue reading »New Doors for the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Madrid, Spain
In February of this year Aidan Hart and his team of craftsmen completed a large pair of doors for the newly completed Russian Orthodox Church of St Mary Magdalene in Madrid. The outside of the doors, facing the entrance lobby, sport sixteen hand carved panels, and the inside sixteen festal icons in gold leaf on…
Continue reading »Seat of Wisdom
A few months ago, Aidan Hart wrote a wonderful article on the possibility of statuary acting as icon. He did this in the context of having sculpted a model for a stone version of the Seat of Wisdom. Just as he was posting his article, I was also receiving a commission for a wooden carving…
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