Difference between revisions of "Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir"

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The '''Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir''' is a choir composed of Orthodox Christian singers in the New York - New Jersey - Pennsylvania area of the United States. It is committed to singing in the English language the great works of Orthodox music that glorifies God and expresses the Orthodox faith, thus opening the treasury of Orthodox music to the community.  
 
 
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{{monastery|
 
name=Yelabuga Convent of the <br>Kazan Icon of the Mother of God|
 
jurisdiction=[[Diocese of Kazan]], <br>[[Church of Russia]]|
 
type=Female Monastery|
 
founded=1868|
 
superior=[[Abbess]] Vera (Shevchenko)|
 
size=15 nuns|
 
hq= Yelabuga City, Tatarstan|
 
language= Slavonic|
 
music=[[Russian Chant]]|
 
calendar=[[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
 
feasts=unknown|
 
website=[http://www.kazan.eparhia.ru/english/monastyri/yelabugmon/ Diocesan Web site]
 
}}
 
The ‘’’Yelabuga Convent of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God’’’ is a [[monastery]] for women that was founded in the mid-nineteenth century in the city of Yelabuga in the [[Diocese of Kazan]], Tatarstan. Having been virtually destroyed during the Soviet years, restoration of the [[convent]] has been ongoing since its return to the [[Church of Russia]] in 1995.
 
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
The merchant I. I. Stakheyev initiated the establishment of the convent in 1868, at his expense. The overall design of the convent complex was by the architect G. A. Boose, who placed the main temple, the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in center of the convent grounds, with the whole surrounded by a stone wall. This [[church]] was completed in 1868. Other buildings were built, arranged around the central church. Three story residence buildings were built to the east and north of the church. The monastery hospital was incorporated in the northern building, that also included, since 1887, the Church of the Great Martyr Barbara. The residence of the Mother [[Superior]] was a small two-story house built in the eastern part of the compound. Entrance to the monastery was through a turreted and arched gate in the southern part of the wall.
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The Spirit Of Orthodoxy Choir was established in 1997 under the direction of Aleksei Shipovalnikov. The choir consists of singers from various [[parish]]es and [[jurisdiction]]s who are dedicated to church singing and who desire to be witnesses to the faith through music.
  
After the Bolsheviks took control of Russia in 1917, the Commissariat for Enlightening established a children’s city within the convent grounds, yet permitted the community of [[nun]]s and the church to continue to function, although this was not permissible under the new Soviet laws. This changed when the government of the city decided to close the convent in 1928. The members of the convent community petitioned for return of the church, but were refused.  
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These music selections represent three schools of Russian Church music and have been sufficiently translated into English. Some of the choir's repertoire has been unheard in the West. The Choir sings chiefly in English but also performs music in [[Church Slavonic]]. Their repertoire witnesses to the range and quality of the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church. Their singing is a capella, without instrumentation. This is typical of the Orthodox Church, where the human voice and soul are invaluable in worship.
  
With the nuns banished from the convent, the Soviets destroyed the wall and disassembled the church and bell tower. The bricks from the buildings were given to a construction group. The children’s city continued to function until 1930 while the remaining buildings of the monastery were used as ordinary living quarters. During World War II the grounds of the monastery were used as a prisoner-of-war camp, a use that continued until 1949.
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==Director==
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Aleksei V. Shipovalnikov was born in Rostov on the Don and studied composition, polyphony and conducting at the Gnesin Sate Conservatory and the Moscow Institute of Culture. His post-graduate studies included a master class with Leonard Bernstein in 1988. He served as Artistic Director and Manager of the Moscow State University Symphony Orchestra and Academic Choir and has conducted in the Soviet Union, West Germany and Poland. He established a reputation during the Communist era for innovative programming in spite of the political risks involved. In 1990 he moved to the United States, where he has served as Choir Director of [[Christ the Saviour Church (San Francisco, California)|Christ the Saviour Church, San Francisco]] and Music Director of Slavyanka Men's Slavic Chorus. He was Professor of Liturgical Music at [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Seminary]], South Canaan, Pennsylvania. He is currently Music Director at [[Ss. Peter and Paul Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)|Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, Jersey City, New Jersey]].
  
===Restoration===
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==External Link==
Restoration of the convent began in 1993 when part of the monastery was returned to the Diocese of Kazan, On [[February 8]], 1995, the ruling [[hierarch]] of the Diocese of Kazan and Tatarstan, Archbishop Anastassy, consecrated the restore Church of the Great Martyr Barbara and the [[monasticism|monastic]] community was revived. Restoration work has continued including repair of the residential buildings and reconstruction of the monastery wall and the central Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. From the onset of the reconstruction, the revival of the convent has been under the guidance of the Mother Superior, [[Abbess]] Vera (Shevchenko), who leads the community of fifteen nuns.
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* [http://www.spiritoforthodoxy.com/ Official website]
  
==Source==
 
*[http://www.kazan.eparhia.ru/english/monastyri/yelabugmon/  Yelabuga Convent of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God]
 
  
[[Category: Monasteries]]
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[[Category:Church Music]]
[[Category: Russian Monasteries]]
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[[Category:Organizations]]

Latest revision as of 16:04, April 13, 2016

The Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir is a choir composed of Orthodox Christian singers in the New York - New Jersey - Pennsylvania area of the United States. It is committed to singing in the English language the great works of Orthodox music that glorifies God and expresses the Orthodox faith, thus opening the treasury of Orthodox music to the community.

History

The Spirit Of Orthodoxy Choir was established in 1997 under the direction of Aleksei Shipovalnikov. The choir consists of singers from various parishes and jurisdictions who are dedicated to church singing and who desire to be witnesses to the faith through music.

These music selections represent three schools of Russian Church music and have been sufficiently translated into English. Some of the choir's repertoire has been unheard in the West. The Choir sings chiefly in English but also performs music in Church Slavonic. Their repertoire witnesses to the range and quality of the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church. Their singing is a capella, without instrumentation. This is typical of the Orthodox Church, where the human voice and soul are invaluable in worship.

Director

Aleksei V. Shipovalnikov was born in Rostov on the Don and studied composition, polyphony and conducting at the Gnesin Sate Conservatory and the Moscow Institute of Culture. His post-graduate studies included a master class with Leonard Bernstein in 1988. He served as Artistic Director and Manager of the Moscow State University Symphony Orchestra and Academic Choir and has conducted in the Soviet Union, West Germany and Poland. He established a reputation during the Communist era for innovative programming in spite of the political risks involved. In 1990 he moved to the United States, where he has served as Choir Director of Christ the Saviour Church, San Francisco and Music Director of Slavyanka Men's Slavic Chorus. He was Professor of Liturgical Music at St. Tikhon's Seminary, South Canaan, Pennsylvania. He is currently Music Director at Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, Jersey City, New Jersey.

External Link