First Semester of Online Courses a Success

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We were pleased to conclude our first semester of online courses on a high note. Our Introduction to Musicianship I course, in two sections–youth and adult–were very successful.

Our classes were populated with pioneering students who had the added bonus of training in the use of online classroom platforms, multi-track recording, and cloud document sharing in addition to their musical studies. The classes were rich with material and training that was specifically designed to be immediately applicable in their situations as church musicians.

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Our 2015 church music courses are now open for enrollment at the PaTRAM Institute. These 12-week courses will begin at the end of February. This semester we are offering the following six classes online:

  • Music Theory: Introduction to Musicianship Level I, Introduction to Musicianship Level II
  • Voice Lessons: Private and Group Lessons
  • Conducting Lessons: Private and Group Lessons

The content of our courses is specifically designed for immediate application in Orthodox sacred choral music in the Russian tradition. All examples and weekly assignments are drawn from selections from common English repertoire. All PaTRAM course enrollees receive discounts on PaTRAM master class events.

The PaTRAM Institute curriculum offers an innovative approach to music learning. Orthodox musicians often lead very busy lives apart from their work for the Church, and so enrolling in a conventional music program is simply not an option for many. Using a groundbreaking combination of:

  • private lessons via video-conference
  • online virtual classrooms
  • guided independent study
  • seasonal workshops and master classes
  • assessment-based, multi-level certification

the PaTRAM Institute curriculum makes it possible for working church musicians to increase their God-given talents at their own pace, under the tutelage of some of the forest Orthodox professional musicians, and at a fraction of the cost of a conventional music program.

 

PaTRAM Director Receives Honors at 2014 Grammy Awards

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VMDr. Vladimir Morosan, founder of the publishing house, Musica Russica, has earned his reputation as the foremost authority on the subject of Russian choral music. He has dedicated over 30 years of effort to promoting this tradition in the English-speaking musical world. His extraordinary knowledge was given particular recognition at the this year’s Grammy Awards, held on February 8, by Craig Johnson, artistic director and conductor of Conspirare, a choral ensemble based in Austin, Texas.sacred-spirit-of-russia1-e1405645811772

Conspirare was awarded the Grammy for Best Choral Performance of the year.  Their album, “The Sacred Spirit of Russia,” was composed entirely of Russian Orthodox sacred music published by Musica Russica, and personally selected and coached by Dr. Morosan.

 

The Patriarch Tikhon Choir Records Premier Album

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In early December 2014 The Patriarch Tikhon Choir, under the direction of Maestro Vladimir Gorbik, gathered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to record our premier album. The album is entitled “Come, Ye Kindred of the Nations.” By uniting Russian, American, and Russian-American singers who share the Orthodox faith, our goal is to highlight the universality and aliveness of the Slavic Orthodox musical tradition in both the Slavonic and the English languages. To this end, we are including Slavonic and English settings side by side on the disc, by Russian, American, and Russian-American composers. We feel that emphasizing this shared culture of faith and music is relevant not only to the lives of Orthodox Christians of both lands, but is an especially poignant statement to people all over the world given the political tensions that have been developing over the past year.

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It was our privilege to work with recording engineers and producers from the multi-Grammy Award winning studio, Soundmirror, Inc. They have worked with some of the greatest choirs, soloists, and orchestras of our time, and have amassed a remarkable discography. The experience and talent they brought to the project was inspiring.

The recording was made at the beautiful St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. This romanesque stone cathedral is an acoustic gem, and is considered among one of the best venues for choral performance in the mid-Atlantic region. St. Stephen’s boasts, not only of an exceptional acoustic space, but an extraordinary pipe organ and organist, music director Mark Laubach, sponsors regional educational programs and hosts many live performances each year.

We are eagerly anticipating the release of this premier album at the end of 2015.