In the past thirty years, I have attended almost 7000 liturgies in the United States, Canada, Russia, and Greece. Some of these have been in small candlelit chapels in the desert of Mount Athos; others have been in magnificent imperial monasteries with a thousand years of history. I have beheld liturgies celebrated by patriarchs and […]
Theology wedded to music has a fragile integrity entrusted to singers who must skillfully labor to reveal heaven on earth.
Liturgical Music in America Liturgical music is closely bound up with the people that sing it. Language, history, culture, experience, education, social class, all of these things shape the sound-world of worship. The people that founded Orthodox parishes in America more than a century ago—for the most part, immigrants from Russia, Greece, Eastern Europe, and […]
The recent release of the CD Till Morn Eternal Breaks marks a number of laudable firsts: First and foremost, it is the debut CD comprised almost entirely of the choral works of American Orthodox composer Benedict Sheehan (b.1980), a gifted musician who has something important to say in ways that are both traditional and innovative. Second, it […]
On November 9, a new recording by the Chamber Choir of St. Tikhon’s Monastery of original compositions and arrangements, entitled “Till Morn Eternal Breaks: Sacred Choral Music of Benedict Sheehan,” will go on sale from St. Tikhon’s Monastery Press. (To pre-order, visit stspress.com) The project is the first of its kind: a recording of new Orthodox music […]
Editor’s Note: This interview appeared originally on pravoslavie.ru, with questions posed by Jesse Dominick. Benedict Sheehan is a composer, conductor, arranger, writer about, and teacher of, music. He currently plies his trade at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and Monastery, where, since 2010, he has taught Orthodox liturgical music and directed the choirs. Benedict is also a regular […]
A Master Class and Concert with Vladimir Gorbik — Feb. 28 to Mar. 3, 2013 As part of its 75th anniversary celebration, Saint Tikhon’s Seminary will host a rigorous three-day master class for the select student choirs of three of America’s premier Orthodox Christian seminaries — Saint Tikhon’s Seminary, Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, and Holy Trinity […]
A Travelogue December 27, 2012 – January 9, 2013 Vladimir Gorbik Conductor, teacher, mentor, friend—Vladimir Gorbik is arguably the finest living conductor of Russian church music, and the reason for my journey to Moscow this past December and January. Over the course of about two weeks I was privileged to work closely with him and […]
(Editorial note: This article, regarding one of our contributors, Benedict Sheehan, was taken from the St-Tikhon Seminary website.) On December 27, 2012, St. Tikhon’s Seminary choir director, Benedict Sheehan, will travel to Moscow to work with the Male Choir of the Moscow Representation Church (Podvorye) of the Trinity–St. Sergius Lavra and its renowned choirmaster, Vladimir […]
(Editorial note: George Skok, the choir director of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Toronto kindly sent us this summary of ROCOR’s recent Orthodox Church Musicians’ Conference which gathered an amazing array of musical experts from Russia and North America. Among these, our own Benedict Sheehan led a seminar for the group. The Article is by V.V. […]