Difference between revisions of "Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir"

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This is the '''OrthodoxWiki Sandbox'''!  Feel free to edit here to your heart's content!
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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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==History==
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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.
  
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[[Category:OrthodoxWiki]]
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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.
  
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A '''cathedra''' (Latin, "chair", from Greek, ''kathedra'', "seat") is the chair or throne of a [[bishop]]. It is a symbol of teaching authority in the Orthodox Church. ''Cathedra'' is the Latin word for a chair with armrests. Its Roman connotations of authority reserved for the Emperor were adopted by bishops after the fourth century. In this sense, cathedra is sometimes referred to as a "bishop's throne”. A [[church]] in which a cathedra is installed is called a [[cathedral]] — the seat of a particular church called a [[diocese]] or [[eparchy]]. The term cathedra is applied also to the [[see]] of a bishop.
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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]].
  
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The traditional position of the cathedra was in the [[apse]] behind the [[altar]] table, which was the position of the magistrate in the apse of the Roman [[basilica]] that provided the model type—and sometimes the actual structures—for early Christian basilicas. Originally the bishop’s cathedra stood in the center of the apse, flanked on either side, though on a lower plane, by benches for assisting priests. During the early centuries of Christianity it was customary for the bishop to deliver his [[sermon]] or [[homily]] while seated in his chair facing the congregation.
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==External Link==
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* [http://www.spiritoforthodoxy.com/ Official website]
  
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Today, cathedrals have a throne for the bishop in the apse behind the altar table, with seats for the priests to sit to either side of him (only bishops and priests are permitted to sit in the altar; [[deacon]]s and the lower [[clergy]] must stand). This location is referred to as the '''High Place''' and represents the presence of [[Christ]] presiding over the services, even when the bishop is not present. For this reason, the High Place often has an [[icon]] of Christ placed above the seat and on the [[iconostasis]] seated in an armed chair. The bishop will only ascend the High Place during the [[Divine Liturgy]], at the [[Trisagion]] (at other times, if he sits in the sanctuary, a seat will be prepared for him off to the side). For this reason, the [[consecration of a bishop]] takes place at the Trisagion, so that he may ascend the High Place for the first time as a bishop during the Liturgy at which he is consecrated.
 
  
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Another throne for the bishop is located in the nave of the church:
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[[Category:Church Music]]
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*In the Greek practice, this is normally located along the southern wall of the church, on the [[kliros]]. In this style, it is one of the monastic choir stalls (''kathismata''), only more elaborately carved, usually at the top of three steps, and with a canopy above it. During the Divine Liturgy, the deacon will ascend this throne to read the [[Gospel]], facing west.
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[[Category:Organizations]]
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*In the Russian practice, the ''kafedra'' is a large square platform set in the very center of the nave, with a moveable chair or faldstool placed on it. This arrangement is a remnant of the ancient [[bema]] (Greek: amvon), borrowed from the Jewish [[synagogue]], which stood in the center of the synagogue in ancient times. During the Russian liturgy, the deacon will stand on this platform, facing east, to read the Gospel.
 
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Although an [[hegumen]] (abbot) does not have a cathedral, he may have a similar chair, reserved for him on the kliros of his [[monastery]], likewise symbolic of his authority, The hegumen's kathisma would be simpler than the one for the bishop, sometimes raised atop two steps, located to the side of the bishop's throne.
 
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==External links==
 
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedra  Cathedra]
 
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*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03437a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Cathedra]
 
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[[Category:Church architecture]]
 

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

Retrieved from "https://en.orthodoxwiki.org/index.php?title=Spirit_of_Orthodoxy_Choir&oldid=123163"