A four-day hands-on workshop exploring the connections between Russian sacred music and the ongoing liturgical life and practice of the Orthodox Church through the lens of conducting technique and authentic performance practice. Session topics will include: approaches to unmetered chant, Slavonic diction, text-based expression, the influence of liturgical structure on artistic choices, the ascetic ethos of Orthodox liturgical art, and the evolution of Russian liturgical music before, during, and after the Soviet period. The seminar will feature presentations and masterclasses for conductors, singers, and lovers of choral music.

As a participant, you’ll be able to conduct, sing, or sit in on rehearsals and masterclasses with William Jewell College Cardinalis and a quartet from the Chamber Choir of St. Tikhon’s Monastery. Repertoire will include the Vespers portion of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, op. 37 and other composers of the last century.