Legendary Octavist, Glenn Miller, Speaks to Classic 107 About PaTRAM’s One-Of-A-Kind “All-Night Vigil”

/in

Glenn Miller, basso profundo extraordinaire, recently spoke to Winnipeg CLASSIC107’s Chris Wolf about the making of PaTRAM’s new release, Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil” in the Holy Land. Listen as Glenn shares his thoughts about the profound and moving experience of recording the masterwork in the Ascension Church atop the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and being in the Holy Land. As Miller states, “It just kind of blew your mind…here we are at one of the holiest places of the Christian-Judeo tradition…the whole experience of being in the holy land…they [the hosts] were so generous to us all in taking us to all the places and singing liturgies in all the places was just wonderful.”

Glenn Miller has professionally recorded the “All-Night Vigil” many times over the course of his extraordinary career, but none like this. As a member of the PaTRAM Institute Male Choir™, the renowned octavist singer says of the exceptional direction of Maestra Antonenko, “Ekaterina is just amazing! She guided us along with so many beautiful magical moments. Her ability to have us sustain a diminuendo…and it keeps disappearing and disappearing …We all fell in love with her, she is just so good.”

We invite you to enjoy the interview in its entirety. Please click => here.

PaTRAM’s recording of the “All-Night Vigil” can be experienced on all your favorite streaming platforms, like Spotify and Apple Music, as well as on CD.

For more information, click: https://patraminstitute.org/all-night-vigil/

PaTRAM Institute Male Choir™ Has Hit the Airwaves!

/in

After 2 months into its release, the “All-Night Vigil” CD is being aired on MULTIPLE radio stations domestically and internationally. From the US to Canada to Australia and the UK, this CD is getting extended air time on both traditional radio stations, as well as, syndicated, satellite and web-based radio stations.

Broadcasters are exclaiming that this album “is a must!!!” and “Wow, I just listened to the first track and almost fainted!!!”

Click on the image above and see/hear for yourself what the DJs are saying. You’ll see a listing of the radio stations that are playing this amazing music.

Also, in the coming weeks, we will publish a link to a one-on-one interview with Glenn Miller, basso profundo singer with the PaTRAM™ ensemble. Glenn was interviewed by Chris Wolf at Winnipeg’s Classic 107. Be sure to subscribe to our website to get the latest information about this and other news.

Please don’t forget, subscribers and friends of PaTRAM, we remain ever-grateful for your support!

THANK YOU!

PaTRAM Institute™ – An Epilogue of the Epic Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage

/in

We hope you, our subscribers and visitors, enjoyed the ongoing diary of the events that made up PaTRAM Institute’s Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land which included singing 4 liturgies (in various churches) and two live concerts. We at PaTRAM™ certainly enjoyed bringing them to you. It was truly a unique spiritual journey.

As such, we felt that this adventure deserved an Epilogue, e.g. a closing chapter that brings to light the work it took to make this happen, the successful efforts of all involved to make it happen and some testimonials from our singers about the experience.

This project was 2+ years in the making. After multiple venue changes, due mostly to COVID and the uncertainties it wreaked on PaTRAM’s plans. Russia, US, Serbia and Ukraine were all considered for this project with Serbia going ALMOST all the way to execution. All fell to the COVID pandemic. One of those victims was our own Chairman, Alexis Lukianov, who waged a difficult battle with COVID and came very close to losing his life. He credits his survival to God, his doctors and the prayers of all his friends and supporters.

However, PaTRAM senior management were undaunted, particularly our aforementioned Chairman, Alex Lukianov, who was focused on making this happen. When our CEO, Tatiana Geringer (a multiple-time visitor to the Holy Land, both as tour leader and pilgrim), suggested the Holy Land as our venue everything seemed to fall into place after that. Though not without multiple “speed bumps”. Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil” performed and recorded in the cradle of Orthodox and global Christianity? Of course! How appropriate.

Still, many, many logistical issues lay in front of the planning team. Between on-the-ground efforts and singer recruitment, dodging COVID, dealing with rising costs, the effort was immense in nature. But with God’s grace and rabid determination, their efforts paid off and the project went forward with bumps and bruises but overall as a major success.

In the end, though, no matter how much effort we put into making this happen, we found great satisfaction in the testimonials of our singers. We can’t state it any more clearly, it was THEIR efforts that made this happen, as well as, the steady hand of our conductor, Ekaterina Antonenko. This group was our winning combination. So, we’d like to close the “diary” we’ve been keeping for this event with the comments from our the aforementioned group and we thank them with all our hearts!

Robert Isaacs, Counter-tenor: “This is Robert writing, the shorter bald countertenor.  What a joy to make music and explore Israel with all of you these past two weeks!  It was especially meaningful to me after not singing for several years.

I look forward to hearing the CD, and hope we’ll get more chances to sing together.  I am not on social media, but can be reached via this email — if anyone passes through upstate New York, look me up and we’ll share tour memories!”

Chris Mallory, Oktavist: “As I sit safely at home… I’ve taken the time to reflect on our most memorable sojourn in the Holy Land together. 

I’m reminded of a past reflection from my last visit there in the spring of 2015, which still rings true to me today: We came to the Holy Land of Moses and Jesus with open hearts and inquiring minds. We saw the Scripture come to life before our eyes through the ancient stone and the living rock. We learned about the Fifth Gospel – our individual experience of the Holy Land – to help us follow a path of renewal, wonder and peace.

My sincere, heartfelt thanks for your invitation to take part in this journey with you and the PaTRAM Male Choir, for your trust in my ability to achieve PaTRAM’s objectives and for your generous support of me during this wonderful project.

Blessings and best wishes to you all.”

Glenn Miller, Oktavist: “This all is far more than a concert and recording tour. Words fail to describe or
articulate the life changing spiritual dimension of all of this, especially the liturgies, being in the holiest places of the faith, of entering into and brushing up against the deepest traditions and dimensions of the faith that are polar opposites of the total consumerism and egoism which defines the church in western culture.

This whole project has been years in the making, but it was not to come to fruition until now here in the Holy Land, after earlier efforts did not come to fruition, especially the pandemic which nearly took the life of the person who is the driving force and primary patron of the entire endeavor. It was meant, by God’s grace and providence, to be here in the Holy Land with this conductor and in the year of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the composer with these people from across the globe.”

We could not close this chapter without thanking our TREMENDOUS Associate Executive Producers. Their support was invaluable. We’d also like to thank the supporters of our amateur singers. You’ve provided these up-and-coming singers with an amazing opportunity to show their skills. Last but not least, we’d like to thank ALL of our donors and supporters. You are part of the collective that makes these events happen and to get this music to the masses.

Thank you, also, to our on-the-ground logistics team, Father Roman Gultaev and his wife, Matushka Olga for their concerted efforts on the ground in Israel.

Thank you to our spiritual guides and supporting Hierarchs and clerics: His Grace Bishop Theodosy of Seattle, His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan and, especially, Archimandrite Father Roman Krassovsky for giving us the access to Eleon Monastery that was essential to the success of this project. God bless all of you!

Finally, our greatest thanks goes to the Lukianov Family Foundation without who’s support there’d be no PaTRAM Institute nor any of the great things we’ve been able to accomplish since our founding. God bless you!

Stay tuned for the release of the concert videos and final recording of Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil.

PaTRAM Institute™ – Day 12 of Epic Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage – The Final Day

/in ,

Day 12 has arrived and with it the relief of having completed the difficult but fulfilling task of recording another Grammy hopeful. That remains to be seen but our mission is always focused on fostering and preserving the original splendor of Russian Orthodox choral music, with its astounding spiritual depth, and spreading the liturgical music of our church throughout the world. But today that’s all in the background. Today is Sunday and the first stop of the day is a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the Church of Mary Magdalene. The church is located in the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in the Garden of Gethsemane, also on the Mount of Olives, not too far from the choir’s host, the Eleon Monastery.

The beautiful gold onion domes of the church are unmistakable, their beauty shining forth as they glow in the Jerusalem sunshine. Once inside the church, it quickly becomes apparent that the interior is equal to the beauty of the exterior.

The Hierarchical service was very moving and heartfelt with the Male Choir, led by another singer from our group, Elias Dubelsten, reflecting those feelings with their beautiful and soulful singing.

After the service was completed all the singers and staff gathered in front of the stunning church to take a group photo.

The entire PaTRAM group, singers, staff and pilgrims, were all invited by Egumenia Elizaveta, the Abbess of the Convent, to attend a special Trapeza lunch. The Abbess (standing center) addressed the attendees and handed out commemorative gifts marking PaTRAM’s visit to the Convent. A very special moment.

After the lunch, as has become habit, the group boarded the bus again and began their trip to the open desert where they were about to be treated to something most common in the Middle East, a camel ride! The bus took the group past the wall, separating Israel from Palestine, and into the desert where the vistas were spectacular.

After driving about 45 mins or so, the group arrived at a bedouin camp run by locals. Their primary business is taking their clients for camel rides. After a short introduction to riding a camel, the guides helped seat people wanting to take the ride and took them for a short, 10-minute ride to Abraham’s tent.

The person playing “Abraham” gave a colorful history of the area and its Biblical past. One of our Australian choristers quickly recognized Abraham’s accent as Australian and when asked admitted that, indeed, he was Australian and has been working as “Abraham” for the past 24 years. Very interesting.

After the interesting meeting with “Abraham”, the group boarded the bus again for the final leg of today’s adventure, the closing banquet in a Bethlehem kebab restaurant. With its traditional bedouin tent look and low bench-seat tables, the restaurant presented the group with its menu of sauces, hummus, breads and, of course, chicken and meat kebab skewers.

There were speeches and presentations of gifts especially by PaTRAM Chairman Alex Lukianov who acknowledged the work of the producer, Blanton Alspaugh (left frame), conductor, Ekaterina Antonenko (2nd from left frame), on-the-ground logistics manager and guide, Father Roman Gultaev (2nd from right frame) and the PaTRAM staff (L-R, CEO, Tatiana Geringer, Personal Assistant for the Lukianovs, Natalia Prokopeca and Executive Director, Alex Milas), and thanked them for their efforts.

However, the most important people of note, without whom none of this would have happened and whose selfless support for the mission makes PaTRAM Institute what it is, Alex and Katya Lukianov. Their love for their Church, for the organization and for each other always shines through. Gorko!!!

And so, the group’s 12-day adventure comes to an end. Both happiness and melancholy frame the day. Happiness, in what the working group achieved, under some difficult circumstances, the new people met and the memories of a lifetime. Melancholy, in knowing that it’s over and the time has come for all of them to return to their regular lives.

With God’s help another adventure awaits!

Please be sure to follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn) and this website where we will share updates and the progress of this CD, concert videos and all things PaTRAM.

PaTRAM Institute™ – Days 8-11 of Epic Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage – The Recording Days

/in ,

Refreshed and rested, Day 8 began with the arranging of the choir in the Ascension church to bring out the best sound. The Soundmirror engineering team determined that the building had too much echo and, as such, had to reduce it to be less noticeable while still contributing to the overall sound. To avoid any impact to the church’s interior, wires were strung between windows and blankets hung over the wires, effectively creating a sound room but with the natural acoustics produced by the church’s architecture.

The day outside was typical of Jerusalem and that area of the world, HOT! The sun shown down on the Mount of Olives with it usual force.

As such the rehearsals had more frequent breaks so that the choir could hydrate and reduce the vocal strain while Soundmirror could adjust the sound to optimum recording standards. The recording’s producer, multi-Grammy winner, Blanton Alspaugh discussed the nuances with conductor, Ekaterina Antonenko, during those breaks.

The “dress rehearsal” day was complete and the Soundmirror team, along with Ms. Antonenko and singers, listened to the sample recordings in the makeshift control room that would, starting tomorrow, become the eventual CD itself.

The ensemble is now ready to lay down the final tracks for the CD.

Day 9 was another eventful day as the choir and the recording team recorded the first 5 pieces of the 15-piece repertoire. The work was difficult but fulfilling as the first tracks of the CD were completed.

Day 10 began with a panihida service, at the Trapeznaya Church on the grounds of the Eleon Monastery, to remember the 40th day of the repose of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. The solemn but heartwarming service was sung by the PaTRAM Men’s Choir and conducted by one of our own singers, Vadim Gan.

After the service, it was back to work for the choir and Soundmirror to record the next 5 tracks for the CD.

Day 11, the final day of recording for the team. Coupled with a little anxiety, the group was very optimistic that this final day would “seal the deal”, as they say, and bring to fruition all the hard work that went into this recording. Once the end was reached, the entire team (choir, staff and Soundmirror) all posed for a group photo next to the Ascension Church.

As wonderful as the choir was, as a whole, the soul of the group was their amazing Oktavist section. They’re the ones who provide the depth on this recording showcased under Ms. Antonenko’s direction.

L-R, Vasilii Korostelev, Ilia Laptev, Elias Dubelsten, Alex Lukianov, Ekaterina Antonenko, Glenn Miller, Viacheslav Prutskikh, Chris Mallory and Jason Thoms

All of this being said, it’s still not over! One more day is still to come. One more adventure to be had.

PaTRAM Institute™ – Days 6 and 7 of Epic Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage

/in

After the successful second and final performance in Nazareth, the choir traveled to the Sea of Galilee. After the hard work to prepare and perform the concerts, the singers and staff were ready for some rest and relaxation. However, most importantly, the group was looking forward to experiencing all the holy sites in the area as pilgrims.

The next day (Day 6) began with a trip to the Jordan River, the site where it is said Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. There is a tradition that all pilgrims cover their bodies before bathing in the Jordan. The local shop sells the typical bathing “gown” that both men and women wear over their bathing suits as seen in the photograph. The gown is not mandatory but covering up is.

After the blessing of the water by our two accompanying Bishops, His Grace Bishop Theodosy and His Grace bishop Nicholas, we entered the cool water and were submerged by both Their Graces and blessed in the River Jordan.

Once blessed, all the brethren jumped into the waters of the Jordan for a group photo. Don’t worry, our group’s photographer, George Konyev, was also able to wade into the water after he shot the photo.

Having been invigorated by the blessed waters of the Jordan, the choir and pilgrims boarded the bus for the trip to Cana. Cana is known as the place where Jesus attended a wedding and performed His first miracle, turning water into wine upon the request of His Holy Mother, the Virgin Mary, as the wine had run out for the wedding celebration.

Jesus’ first miracle is represented in the “Wedding Church”, a Catholic church that stands on the very spot where the miracle took place and contains the water urns where the water was transformed.

After returning to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, the group was rewarded for their efforts in performance, by PaTRAM Chairman Alex Lukianov and PaTRAM Artistic Director Katya Lukianov, with a stunning sunset cruise on Sea of Galilee. It was a beautiful evening with the sun shining brightly on the now relaxed group as they sailed in a wooden boat on the peaceful sea.

After a restful night’s sleep, Day 7 began with the choir and the pilgrims setting out to their next Holy Land site, the Mount of the Beatitudes.  This is the place where Jesus Christ made His famous Sermon on the Mount, teaching the masses how to live a Christian life and performing the miracle of feeding the crowd of thousands with two fish and five loaves of bread. The location sits high above the Sea of Galilee with colorful flowers and arresting view of the water.

The primary structure on the grounds is the Roman Catholic Mount of the Beatitudes Church. The group was able to pray outside on the church’s wrap-around veranda.

After a short water break, the group boarded the bus for their next Holy Land site, Mount Tabor. The monastery at the top of the mountain cannot be accessed by our tour bus so the group had to break up into smaller groups and board vans that shuttled everyone to the top. The view on the way was spectacular.

Although it took time, everyone was able to ascend to the Transfiguration Monastery at the top of Mount Tabor. It was worth the trip! This is the location where the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ took place and witnessed by His disciples, Peter, James and his brother John. The Greek Orthodox Transfiguration Church is a very simple stone building on the outside but an iconographer’s bounty of holy imagery on the inside.

One can spend an entire afternoon looking at all the beautiful colors, the relics and icons on every wall of the church. Still, the afternoon had another stop in store for the group, the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is a body of water that is so saturated with salt that one can easily float without submerging. The salt that is in the mud, below the water and on the shore, is used for skin treatments and is sold locally to visitors. Spas are prevalent and known for the ages-old methods of skin cleansing and exfoliation.

The day ended with those that wished to take a plunge into the waters of the Dead Sea. After changing, the group boarded the bus back to the Sea of Galilee for the final night’s stay and then back to Jerusalem, to start the recording of the CD the next day.

PaTRAM Institute™ – Day 5 of Epic Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage

/in , ,

Day 5, a Sunday, started out with the choir checking out of their hotel in Jerusalem and boarding the bus for the trip to the Ascension Church, on the Mount of Olives, to sing and attend the Hierarchical services and pray that all will be well in the group’s second half of the day. The trip to Nazareth.

On the road to Nazareth there are other sites to see, too. The group stopped at the scenic overlook from where one can see the valley where Armageddon is and where the Final Judgement will be passed.

The town of Nazareth, the city where Jesus spent the first 12 years of his life, is built into a mountain which climbs high above the Jezreel valley below. Nazareth is known as the “Arab capital of Israel” and most of them are Christian, although the Muslim and Jewish faiths, too, are well-represented and everyone lives peacefully together.

Once in Nazareth, the group saw some of the ancient sites there including the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation and it’s beautiful interior and iconostasis. It is situated near the Catholic Church of the Annunciation where Archangel Gabriel was said to have descended to announce to the Virgin Mary that She will bear the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

Towards the evening the choir arrived at the Church of Christ the Adolescent. A Salesian Catholic church built on top of one of Nazareth’s hills overlooking the city. It is the only church in the world named as such, although the pastor did mention another is in planning to be built.

It is here the choir will perform the “All-Night Vigil” for the second and last time on this Holy Land adventure. The church is an incredible juxtaposition of sights. Walking in you see a cavernous, white stone interior with high vaulted ceilings. Turn around to the entrance and you’ll see a magical view of Nazareth and the valley below.

The choir began the performance just after 7pm, local time, and there was an good showing of visitors and locals. Of course, His Grace Bishop Theodosy and His Grace Bishop Nicholas were with the choir, too.  The performance was wonderful and the cathedral’s acoustics gave their sound a deep and rich color. Maestro Antonenko showed the same grace and control in leading the group tonight as she did in Jerusalem.

The performance was extremely well-received and most all of the audience was enthralled. It culminated in an short encore that further excited the crowd who gave the ensemble, Ms. Antonenko and soloists Evgeny Kachurovsky and Igor Morozov a tremendous ovation.

After the performance it was back on the road again to the Sea of Galilee. The performances being complete, it was time for the group to become pilgrims and travel to the Holy Sites there.

PaTRAM Institute™ – Day 4 of Epic Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage

/in ,

Day 4 was first of two BIG days for the choir because today was a performance day! Yes. Today there were no pilgrimages only the business of singing.

After 3 days of rehearsing, both at the Eleon Monastery and, yesterday, at the Notre Dame Hall the group was almost ready for performance.

Day 4 started with a nice breakfast at the hotel followed by a walk across the street to the sister property with the same name as our hotel, the Notre Dame Concert Hall.

There was lots of running around by the staff, preparing for the concert, while the ensemble was doing their sound check in preparation for the performance at 11am. An afternoon concert was not possible because the attending clergy would have had a difficult time getting back to their parishes and monasteries in time for their evening vigils as most start around 4pm, “monastery” time. Monasteries, in Jerusalem, do not recognize Daylight Savings Time and, therefore, run 1-hour EARLIER.

Although doors-open time was 10:45, people were gathering around the entrance of the theater an hour before performance time to get in. There was a real interest in see what the PaTRAM Male Choir™  was all about.

Finally, the audience was let in and seated.

The audience included many clergy including the Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Holiness Theofilos III (front row center), who kindly gave His blessing to PaTRAM to perform in Jerusalem.

After the Hierarchy were acknowledged, the choir filed out on to the stage followed by their conductor, Maestro Ekaterina Antonenko.

Once the choir was on stage the emcee for the performance, PaTRAM CEO Tatiana Geringer, read her introduction of the group and noted the fact that this was an original arrangement of Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil” for Male Choir.

After the introduction, the choir began singing the Rachmaninoff masterpiece. As the choir began to sing “Bless the Lord, O My Soul”, baritone soloist Evgeny Kachurovsky took center stage to sing the very moving solo .

Shortly after Mr. Kachurovsky’s solo, the Male Choir’s other soloist, tenor Igor Morozov, took to center stage to sing the solo in “Gladsome Light”. Mr. Morozov would go on to sing solos in “Lord, Now Lettest Thou” and “Blessed Art Thou, O Lord”, later in the program.

The entire performance was brought together by the focused and determined efforts of Maestro Ekaterina Antonenko. Her emotional conducting of this masterpiece was clearly visible.

As the “All-Night Vigil” performance ended with a standing ovation and encore, Ms. Antonenko was presented with flowers by Fr. Roman Gultaev, PaTRAM’s local guide and logistics support person.

Once all the accolades were completed and the crowd began to leave, the choir assembled onstage to take photos with the clerical Hierarchs: His Holiness, Patriarch Theofilos III (center), His Grace, Bishop Theodosy of Seattle (left) and His Grace, Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan (center).

Later that day, evening vigil was served at the Ascension Church (where the choir will be recording their CD next week). The administration of PaTRAM and several of the singers were invited to an excellent dinner with the Abbess of the Convent, Egumenia Varvara to celebrate the All-Saints Feast day and the Choir’s work at the Monastery.

Another exhausting but spiritually satisfying day!! But….it’s not over!

PaTRAM Institute™ – Day 3 of Epic Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage

/in ,

Day 3 was a VERY special day! After the choir returned from their Day 2 adventure to Bethlehem and their continuing preparation for their concert and recording, they ate dinner and rested in their hotel to get some extra strength to participate in, yet another, special pilgrimage event….a midnight Divine Liturgy being served in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (above) in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Prior to the service, the ensemble and accompanying pilgrims walked through the immense and incredible site that is the Holy Sepulcher. The first site one sees walking into the complex is the anointing table where Joseph of Aramathea prepared the body of Jesus for burial with special oils after Jesus was taken down from the cross and brought to the Tomb. Pilgrims who come, venerate the sacred stone and bring religious artifacts, icons and crosses they want to be blessed on the anointing table of Jesus.

The actual burial place of Jesus can be seen just past the anointing table. The Sepulcher is an ornate, stone structure that houses the final resting place of Jesus before He was resurrected back to life. This is the most sacred place for all of Christianity. All believers are welcome to enter the Sepulcher, through a small opening and make their way into the cave where the body of Jesus was entombed. The ultimate of sacred places where a believer can come venerate the last resting place of Our Savior. Truly moving.

PaTRAM Institute™ received the blessing of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, to serve a midnight Divine Liturgy at Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified on the cross. A small but incredibly ornate and stunningly beautiful chapel above the main church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the pre-Liturgical matins were read. It should be noted how RARE an opportunity it was, that was bestowed on PaTRAM™ by the Patriarch, to give the blessing allowing a Liturgy to be served on such hallowed ground! Such a blessing!

After the very special night singing the Liturgy at Golgotha, the choir and pilgrims walked back through the Old City to their hotel for some much needed rest in preparation for resuming their rehearsing for the big Jerusalem performance to come. This time the setting was the Notre Dame Center Hall, right across the street from where they were staying, and where the PaTRAM Insitute Male Choir will be performing, tomorrow, June 18th at 11am.  The Maestro, Ekaterina Antonenko, molds the sound and shape of the choir in the performance hall.

Tomorrow is the big day…the choir’s first performance! More to come….

 

PaTRAM Institute™ – Day 2 of Epic Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage

/in ,

What a fantastic start to Day 2 of PaTRAM Institute’s CD recording and pilgrimage. Today started with a visit to Bethlehem. Bethlehem is in Palestine, an independent nation, so there was a border to cross which, thank God, went by without incident. The choir gathered in the courtyard of the Church of the Nativity. The birthplace of Jesus Christ!

Father Roman Gultaev led the group into the church, through a four-foot high stone opening and into the great church itself with it’s unbelievably intricate and beautiful iconastasis (shown later in this story) and down a set of stone steps, to another four-foot high stone opening, into the cramped but beautiful cave where Jesus Christ was born. As the group gathered, the morning Divine Liturgy began with the choir (led by one of PaTRAM’s choristers, Elias Dubelsten) singing and the liturgy being read in Greek, Arabic and Slavonic. Amazing!

With the blessing of the Metropolitan of Bethlehem, His Eminence Benedict (center), and the bishops accompanying PaTRAM™, Bishop Theodosy of Seattle and Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, all celebrated the very special and unique service, mere feet from where Jesus was born! Imagine that! The man who changed the world forever was born right here. To the hierarchs’ left, out of the picture-as there are too many people venerating it to get a good photo-is the manger where the Most Holy Theotokos, the Virgin Mary nestled Her Son the baby Jesus. One’s eye’s burst with amazement at the thought of what happened here!

The pinnacle of the visit to the Nativity cave, after the Liturgy, was the veneration of the Star that signified the exact spot where Jesus was born to the Most Holy Theotokos. All believers were given the unbelievable honor to genuflect to their knees, reach their heads into the fireplace-sized opening and kiss the Star where Jesus Christ, Our Savior, was born. The impact that has on one’s soul is inexplicable and the only way to experience that feeling is to have gone there in-person! A tremendous honor.

After the Liturgy, the group, and the three hierarchs, were invited back into the main church to pose for a group photo under the majestic, gold, 3+story iconostasis and its intricate carvings and iconography. Stunningly beautiful!

His Eminence, Metropolitan Benedict of Bethlehem invited all the pilgrims to have coffee, tea and sweets in the unique, arched stone meeting room adjacent to the Church of the Nativity. It was a wonderful gesture by the Metropolitan to invite everyone to his personal meeting room and show his support and give His blessing to the PaTRAM Institute Male Choir™ and accompanying pilgrims.

Then, the bus ride back to the Eleon Monastery for rehearsal in the Trapeznaya Church. The same church that is 150 meters from where the Ascension took place! And also, 50 feet from where the head of St. John the Baptist was discovered and a church erected on the site. Lunch-fueled and inspired by all the Holy places they visited and were near to, the choir continued to improve and grow under the steady hand of Maestro Ekaterina Antonenko.

More to share later…..

PaTRAM Institute™ Male Choir Embarks On Epic Rachmaninoff CD Recording and Pilgrimage

/in ,

After many delays from COVID and other logistical issues over the past 2 years PaTRAM Institute has finally been able to begin their epic recording of Rachmaninoff’s “All Night Vigil” in Jerusalem, Israel. The new arrangement, for male choir, is the first ever recorded.

We will chronicle, in photos and text, on PaTRAM’s website and their social media outlets, the journey that began on June 15th, 2022 in Jerusalem.

After a harrowing day of travel from different cities around the world, all the singers came together in Jerusalem at the Notre Dame Hotel. A beautiful 19-century creation, it stands overlooking Jerusalem with great views of the old city right across the street. The singers and staff all gathered on the rooftop of the hotel with their guide, Fr. Roman Gultaev, who explained all the sites the group was seeing.

After taking photos and getting the lay of the land, the choir boarded a bus and were driven, across the city they just saw from a bird’s-eye view, up to the Mount of Olives where Jesus Himself walked. The group walked the sacred grounds of the Eleon monastery to the Ascension Church deep inside the fenced-in grounds.

The choir and staff were greeted by Archimandrite Roman Krassovsky, who heads the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem (ROCOR). Fr. Roman served a moleben to help the choristers in their quest.

The services were attended by Bishop Theodosy of Seattle and Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan both of whom traveled with the choir to pray for them and to support the mission of PaTRAM.

After the moleben the group was escorted by Father Roman Gultaev to the trapeznaya church just past the Ascension church where they sang the moleben.

The choir was seated in the arranged vocal groupings created by Maestro Ekaterina Antonenko, in her first conducting effort for PaTRAM.

At lunch, the group was visited by the Abbess Varvara in support of their efforts. So, despite the stress and strain of travel the prior day the choir was able to rehearse the full day and at the end of today, tired and hungry, they took the first steps toward a successful recording.

The day ended around 6:30 local time. Sore and tired, the choir diligently cleaned up after themselves, leaving the trapeznaya clean and tidy. They picked up their scores and backpacks and walked back to the waiting bus for the trip back to the Notre Dame to have dinner and relax.

They walked past the Ascension Church, where they will record the CD the following week, once again. The Church shined in its beauty from the top of the Mount of Olives looking over Jerusalem.

More to come tomorrow…

PaTRAM Institute Male Choir™ To Perform and Record Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil” In the Holy Land

/in ,

PaTRAM - NEW RECORDING AND CONCERT TOUR IN THE HOLY LAND IN 2022!

 

Contact: Alex Milas                                                               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tel. +1.201.838.7872

Email: info@patraminstitute.org

Date: 06/01/2022

PaTRAM Institute™ to Record Next CD in Jerusalem, Israel

Fresh off their latest CD, “More Honorable Than the Cherubim”, PaTRAM Institute™ will record their next CD in the Holy Land in Israel, this summer. The new CD, the “All-Night Vigil” by Sergei Rachmaninoff, will be sung by a 54-member all-male choir. The singers hail from Russia, Serbia, North America, and Australia. Maestro Ekaterina Antonenko, conductor of the Intrada Choir and once described as “the best choir in Moscow”, will conduct the ensemble, which will sing the first-ever arrangement of the piece for an all-male choir, with Igor Morozov and Evgeny Kachurovsky, as the featured soloists.

The PaTRAM Institute Male Choir™ will be in Jerusalem for rehearsals from June 15th-18th. The Choir will perform Rachmaninoff’s piece, in concert, on June 18th at the Notre Dame Concert Hall, in Jerusalem, and at the Nazareth Salesian Church, in Nazareth, on June 19th. Before embarking on the recording, the Choir and clergy will visit various Holy Sites around Galilee for a couple of days. The new CD will be recorded from June 22nd thru June 25th, at the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives, by multi-Grammy award winning production company, Soundmirror, led by multi-Grammy winning producer Blanton Alspaugh and multi-Grammy winning recording engineer, John Newton.

Officiated by Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan and Bishop Theodosius of Seattle, who are accompanying the PaTRAM Institute All-Male Choir™, and by special permission, the Orthodox members of the choir will sing the morning Liturgy in Bethlehem and the Hierarchical Liturgy on Sunday, June 26th on the Mount of Olives. Then, following the completion of their CD recording on June 25th, the Orthodox members of the choir will sing the Hierarchical Liturgy on Sunday, June 19th at Gethsemane. All of the services will be conducted by Elias Dubelsten, choir director at St Stefan Serbian Orthodox Church in Ottawa, Canada.

Alexis Lukianov, Founder and Chairman of PaTRAM Institute said, “It will be so moving to be in the Holy Land to worship, perform and record Rachmaninoff’s beautiful music in Jerusalem and Gethsemane, as well as to sing and pray at the many sacred sites. This truly promises to be an epic tour for our choir. We are overjoyed and humbled to visit the holiest of holy places.”

About PaTRAM (Patriarch Tikhon Russian American Music Institute)

The mission of PaTRAM Institute™ is to foster the authentic and original splendor of Russian Orthodox choral music together with its astounding spiritual depth, in both the English and Slavonic languages.

PaTRAM Institute performs world-class, professional recordings in unique venues featuring its award-winning international ensembles; distinctive concert performance events; and educational programs.

PaTRAM is a non-profit 501-c3 organization in their 9th year of existence and headquartered in Tiburon, CA.

To learn more visit www.patraminstitute.org.

###