Coming Soon: The Liturgical Arts Academy, August 18-24 2019

English-speaking Orthodox faithful in the United States who have wanted to learn the liturgical arts of the Orthodox Church — music, iconography, vestments, architecture and furnishings design, etc. — have historically had limited opportunities to study with knowledgeable teachers. Some have had the opportunity to go overseas to countries such as Greece and Russia to…

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A New Landmark: Steinberg’s “Passion Week”

Every so often a record comes along that changes the landscape of choral music. Robert Shaw’s 1989 recording of the Rachmaninoff All-Night Vigil comes to mind. It remains one of Shaw’s finest recordings, and, in my opinion, still the best overall recording of the piece to the date, minor flaws in interpretation and Slavonic diction…

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New Georgian Chant Tours

Our friends at Georgian Chant have announced two new tour itineraries this summer that sound quite wonderful. Here is their press release: Trip of a Lifetime In celebration of our tenth season, our team has split our original package tour into two separate tours. With so much to do and see, these new selections offer…

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A Reflection on Arvo Pärt’s “Kanon Pokajanen”

On June 2, Saint Vladimir’s Seminary’s ambitious Arvo Pärt Project wrapped up with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir performing Arvo Pärt’s Kanon Pokajanen (1997) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Temple of Dendur. The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, under the direction of Maestro Tõnu Kaljuste, is one of the world’s premier choirs, and their performance that night…

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Holy Icons in Today’s World (Pt.2): Icons and Modern Art

The transfiguration icon and modern art Christ takes with him His disciples Peter, James and John up a mountain, traditionally taken to be Mount Tabor. The Gospels then tell us that Christ’s face and garments shine with light, brighter than the sun. Moses and Elijah also appear before the disciples, talking with Jesus about His…

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Book Review: Icons in Time, Persons in Eternity

I believe Dr. Cornelia Tsakiridou’s book, Icons in Time, Persons in Eternity, published by Ashgate press in 2013, is one of the most important books about icons published since the classic work, The Meaning of Icons, an audacious claim given the monumental nature of Ouspensky’s and Lossky’s work. Icons in Time, Persons in Eternity asks…

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Further Efforts Toward a Christian Culture

Editor’s Note: Though the following is not directly related to the traditional liturgical arts of the Orthodox Church, it is important to highlight the efforts of those who borrow from the art within the Church in order to influence and engage contemporary culture without. What Nicholas Kotar and his colleagues are doing is cultural missionary…

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