With the blessing of His Eminence Jean, Metropolitan of Dubna, Archbishop of the Orthodox Churches of the Russian Tradition in Western Europe, the Third International Congress of Choir Directors and Singers was held at St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral from 30 October to 1 November. On this occasion, participants from seven countries gathered at our cathedral, where rehearsals and meetings took place. At the conclusion of the congress, the choir of the participants joined the cathedral choir in singing the All-Night Vigil on Saturday and the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning. The choir was led by the choirmaster of our cathedral, Protodeacon Alexandre Kedroff, Vadim Serafimovich Gan, choirmaster of the Synodal Choir of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in New York (USA), Georgy Evgenievich Surkov, choirmaster of the cathedral in Budapest (Hungary), and Mathieu Konstantinovich Malinine, choirmaster of the Church of St Seraphim of Sarov in Paris.
This year’s congress was dedicated to the memory of the great Russian composer of sacred music and founder of the “New Direction” in church singing, Alexander Dmitrievich Kastalsky. This year marks the 170th anniversary of his birth and the 100th anniversary of his death. Most of the works performed during the services were written by this remarkable toiler in the field of church singing. As Kastalsky himself wrote, he desired “that church singing be as distinct from secular music as church vestments are from civilian attire.” This idea became the guiding principle for all participants in the “New Direction” in church singing, including Pavel Chesnokov, Alexander Nikolsky, Nikolai Kompaneisky and others, whose works now adorn our services.
The organizing committee expresses its sincere gratitude to His Eminence Metropolitan Jean, who blessed this undertaking, to the clergy of the cathedral, Archpriest André Svynarov and Archpriest Maciej Leszczynski, to the warden, the sisterhood and the caretakers of the cathedral for their joint prayer and support in this good cause.
Special thanks go to Fr Deacon Seraphim, his matushka and daughters for the wonderful, delicious and beautifully presented lunches.
All the participants were deeply touched by the spiritual uplift they experienced within the cathedral, especially during the services. The exchange of experience, singing under the direction of experienced choirmasters, and getting to know Kastalsky’s works left a deep imprint on the heart of each participant. They left with the hope of meeting again in 2027.