May Your Days Be Merry And Bright!

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The PaTRAM™ team wishes you a very Merry Christmas and joy and blessings this holiday season!

We hope you are continuing to enjoy the exclusive, early-release excerpt, Bogoroditse Devo – Rejoice, O Virgin, from our eagerly-awaited upcoming album, Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil” performed by the PaTRAM Institute Male Choir™. This album, a labor of love, faith and dedication, is a reflection of the hard work and talent of our incredible artists, and the unwavering support you have shown us. If you have not had an opportunity to listen to this magnificent hymn, we invite you to immerse yourself in its spiritual joy. This is our gift to you (click below).

Bogoroditse Devo – Rejoice, O Virgin

As we look forward to the future, filled with exciting projects and opportunities to further enrich the world with the splendor of Orthodox music, we remain ever grateful for your continued support and encouragement. Your generosity not only helps us sustain our efforts but also propels us forward in our quest to keep the sacred tradition of Orthodox Church singing alive and thriving.

We kindly ask you to consider making a gift to PaTRAM before the year’s end. Your generosity will directly support the development of young artists and the exploration of new, immersive experiences for our audiences.

Give a Gift Today: https://patraminstitute.org/give/

We thank you for your generosity and kindness!

May God bless you!

PaTRAM Institute™ – What’s In Store For 2024

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Looking to 2024, a year brimming with promise and potential, we are filled with excitement and gratitude when we think about the strides we are poised to make at PaTRAM Institute™. Our primary focus for the year ahead will be the growth and development of the Center for Musical Excellence, a pivotal step in our ongoing mission to nurture and showcase the rich tapestry of Orthodox sacred music and cultivate a standard of musical excellence that is both spiritually profound and artistically outstanding. Central to this vision is the choir at St. Luke the Blessed Surgeon. Already through their dedication and talent, they are laying the groundwork for what will evolve into the choir of the Resurrection Cathedral, the future home of PaTRAM™.

Furthermore, the Center will act as an incubator for Youth Choirs, providing young singers the opportunity to engage with and learn the traditions of Orthodox music from an early age. These choirs will not only preserve our musical heritage but also ensure its evolution and relevance for years to come.

Additionally, we cannot wait to share the spiritually profound and deeply moving masterpiece, Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil” album, with the world. The release date is March 2024. Last week, as a special gift, we offered our subscribers a sneak peek into the music, a clip of Bogoroditse Devo – Rejoice, O Virgin, performed by the PaTRAM Institute Male Choir™.  We hope you have had an opportunity to listen to an excerpt from the album. If not, we are joyfully sharing it here. Please click the link and enjoy:

Bogoroditse Devo – Rejoice, O Virgin

And there is so much more to come in 2024! The PaTRAM Concert Series; the establishment of the PaTRAM Music Library; Choir development at St. Luke’s Church and other significant projects and events.

In order to fully realize these ambitious and transformative projects in 2024, we have set a fundraising goal of $200,000. This amount is dedicated exclusively to the development and implementation of our programs, ensuring that every aspect of our vision is brought to fruition with the excellence and devotion it deserves.

Your contribution has a direct and profound impact on the advancement of our mission. It enables us to focus our resources and energies on what we do best – bringing transcendent sacred music to life and nurturing the talents of those who will carry this legacy forward.

These transformational projects can only happen with your help. While all administrative costs are generously covered by the Lukianov Family Foundation, PaTRAM projects are fully funded by you, our supporters, donors and sponsors. Please give generously today: https://patraminstitute.org/give/

Together, let us build a future where the sacred melodies of our faith are sung by voices young and old, continuing the unbroken chain of praise and worship that defines our Orthodox heritage and brings us closer to our Creator. Your partnership in this mission is not just an investment in music; it is an investment in the spiritual and cultural life of future generations.

We are deeply grateful for your continued support and partnership in this sacred endeavor. May the coming year be a harmonious symphony of growth, learning, and spiritual enrichment for us all.

The PaTRAM Team

Osanna Chamber Ensemble Performs Bortnyansky In Concert – Tickets on Sale NOW!

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We hope you can join us to experience the music of Dmitry Bortnyansky to be performed by the Osanna Chamber Ensemble on October 26 and 27 in two historic and magnificent cathedral venues in New York City.

And please stay after the concerts for the fundraiser-receptions and enjoy socializing with the conductor and singers, delicious hors d’ oeuvres and cocktails.

To purchase tickets and for more information:

https://givebutter.com/OsannaBortyanskyConcert

From John Arlievsky, Conductor:

“Today, too many dismiss Bortnyansky’s compositions as ‘merely’ Italianate Galante artifacts – yet his output is undeniably a cornerstone of Russian Orthodox liturgical singing to this day. As a group equally comfortable in singing Western European as we are Eastern European music, Osanna Chamber Ensemble is uniquely equipped to tackle the question: What about Bortnyansky’s music has for centuries moved people in prayer, and why does it continue to do so today?

In 1789 Russia, liturgical music was at a point of crisis. Nobility, clergy and laypeople maintained a great variety of opinions about the appropriate direction for their sacred music, placing enormous pressure on the people creating that music. Returning from studies in Italy, composer Dmitry Bortnyansky received a royal invitation to continue his work in St. Petersburg shortly after his contemporary, Maxim Berezovsky, had taken his own life. In an exceedingly complex environment, Berezovsky had begun what Bortnyansky would go on to complete: the creation of an effective synthesis of the compositional language used at the time in Italy with his intimate knowledge of the ancient aesthetics of Orthodox Christian chant and liturgical arts in general. A heavy weight born on Bortnyansky’s shoulders indeed, and an undertaking which would change the course of music and history.

By juxtaposing Bortnyansky’s liturgical harmonizations with several of his more para-liturgical choral concerti, our concert program aims to demystify the essence of his compositional language. Armed with a nuanced and informed musicological approach and a deeply rooted love for this music, the goal of our upcoming concert is to cultivate a stylistic approach to unlock the treasures of Bortnyansky’s works by decoding his compositional language.

Library fires, a lack of research in sacred music throughout the Soviet period, and the utilitarian nature of Bortnyansky’s music have led to a multitude of unanswered questions. There are even those who bitterly maintain that there is simply no place in liturgy for this music. Despite all this and more, we continue to chant Bortnyansky’s music across the Orthodox world.

What is the value of Bortnyansky’s music to Orthodox prayer of yesterday, today, and tomorrow? Join us – and decide for yourself – as we explore these questions in concerts on October 26th and 27th in NYC.”

Purchase Tickets

We sincerely thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you at the live performances.

The Osanna Chamber Ensemble To Sing the Great Orthodox Sacred Music of Dimitry Bortnyansky

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The PaTRAM Institute™ is proud to present the Osanna Chamber Ensemble, LIVE in-concert in New York City, October 26 and 27, 2023.

Osanna conductor, John Arlievsky:

“Today, too many dismiss Bortnyansky’s compositions as ‘merely’ Italianate Galante artifacts – yet his output is undeniably a cornerstone of Russian Orthodox liturgical singing to this day. As a group equally comfortable in singing Western European as we are Eastern European music, Osanna Chamber Ensemble is uniquely equipped to tackle the question: What about Borntiansky’s music has for centuries moved people in prayer, and why does it continue to do so today?

Join us – and decide for yourself – as we explore these questions in concerts on October 26th and 27th in NYC.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, click below.

Purchase Tickets

Thank you to all our donors who supported the “From Young Voices To God’s Ears” campaign! We invite everyone to attend, and hear for themselves, these moving sacred music masterpieces.

Thank you, again, for your continued support.

Grassroots Movement

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Movements are built by people – individuals who share values, a common faith and a commitment to make a positive and lasting impact on humanity. Since our founding, PaTRAM Institute™ has been dedicated to affecting the quality of church music to facilitate deeper and more passionate worship. Together, we are building something extraordinary – a movement in the realm of sacred music that will bring inspiration, emotion, faith and a deeper connection to God for all who will listen. The music of the Orthodox Church has the power to spark this in all of us.

Together, we are building a grassroots movement to share the splendor of Russian Orthodox choral music together with its astounding spiritual depth with the next generation and beyond. This is a true grassroots movement because PaTRAM™ does not receive grants from the government or large foundations. The Lukianov Family Foundation generously covers all administrative costs, but educational grants and performance programs come from gifts – your gifts.

Over 50 families and individuals have already supported the “From Young Voices to God’s Ears” campaign. That is amazing! Will you join them? Will you join us? Will you invest in the next generation of church musicians and in the music that has the power to heal, inspire and touch the soul?

Please give today to the “From Young Voices to God’s Ears” campaign.

https://givebutter.com/YoungVoices

Your gift will make a huge impact on the future of the sacred musical arts and young church musicians.

Thank you in advance for partnering with PaTRAM and demonstrating your commitment to sharing the gift of liturgical music with the next generation and all who will listen! Whether you give a little or a lot, whether you spread the news about our noble cause to family and friends or whether you simply pray for those who are working to achieve excellence in prayerful singing, you are our partner in great work. And we are sincerely grateful!

Our doors are open, and all are invited to join our growing community and become partners in great work!

https://givebutter.com/YoungVoices

Light the Spark!

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Beautiful, sacred music literally transforms people. Ordinary people who have never heard the heavenly sounds of traditional liturgical singing become believers. Music aficionados who know exactly what high-quality music should sound like, are stunned by this new emotional volcano. Amateur singers learn to sing on a completely new level. Inspiration, emotion, faith – music has the power to spark this in all of us.

YOU CAN LIGHT THE SPARK!

The choirs that deliver beautiful, sacred music are made up of individual singers.

Would you consider a gift of $600 to sponsor the musical development of a singer?

You may be familiar with our campaign “From Young Voices to God’s Ears”. The goal is to raise $33,000 over the next few weeks to invest in the musical development of some amazing and committed young artists from the Osanna Chamber Ensemble.

PaTRAM™ has been supporting the Osanna Chamber Ensemble in their development, giving them access to PaTRAM master teachers, who are the best in their field. We have opened doors for them and allowed them to reach a level of musical excellence that is uncommon in North America. Working with John and the Osanna singers has been deeply fulfilling, and their progress and growth has been exceptional.

Osanna has developed into a choir that is approaching the level of a professional choir. Their progress is due in large part to their commitment, and they deserve tremendous credit for their hard work. But I also know that their commitment and hard work alone would not have been enough to get them to where they are today. They needed someone to come alongside them to support their development. That’s where PaTRAM came in – and we are very proud of the role PaTRAM has played in providing Osanna the support they needed to take them to the next level. They are shining stars in the sacred music sphere.

This is the process I am asking you to help us continue and duplicate. You can learn more about the campaign at https://givebutter.com/YoungVoices. So far, we have raised $9,445 toward our goal.

A gift of $600 would cover the complete cost of one student’s pre-concert lessons.

Today, I am inviting you to sponsor one of these students with a gift of $600. You can give now at https://givebutter.com/YoungVoices

YOU can light the spark.

From “Young Voices to God’s Ears” UPDATE!

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Today is a great day! Thanks to 27 VERY GENEROUS friends of PaTRAM, we have reached over 20% of our FROM YOUNG VOICES TO GOD’S EARS campaign GOAL! That’s terrific news!

We are so very grateful that you have decided to partner with PaTRAM and 30 dedicated singers. Thank you for seeing the value of preserving and passing on the sacred choral treasures of the Orthodox Church. This music is truly life changing!

Twenty seven generous friends have already chosen to make a difference! You too can partner with us through your giving — not because of the money — but because the money is an outward reflection of where your heart is.

You can give $25 — and if you give $25, you may not think that’s much — but to us, you are saying, “I’m with you. I’m in this with you. I want to partner with you.”

  • A gift of $25 can sponsor sheet music and books for our singers
  • A gift of $60 can sponsor a lesson with a master teacher
  • A gift of $100 can sponsor meals for our singers
  • A gift of $250 will help cover the cost of transportation and lodging
  • A gift of $600 would cover the complete cost of one student’s pre-concert lessons

If you are capable of giving a larger gift,

  • A gift of $1,000 would provide a complete scholarship for one student
  • A gift of $5,000 would sponsor a concert

Are you ready to make a gift now? https://givebutter.com/YoungVoices 

Here’s what your support means: it means we advance our mission to improve the prayerful sound and quality of Orthodox church singing. And you can experience excellence in sacred singing at live performances this fall. Stay tuned for details!

Together, we can share the splendor of Russian Orthodox choral music together with its astounding spiritual depth with the next generation and, ultimately, at a parish near you.

Please GIVE TODAY and help us reach our $33,000 GOAL:

https://givebutter.com/YoungVoices

MEET THE SINGERS!

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This week on Social Media, PaTRAM™ has been featuring some truly talented and dedicated young singers, who have embarked upon a journey to musical excellence. They are seeking excellence not only for themselves but to improve the quality of their prayerful singing to facilitate deeper and more passionate worship for all who hear their pure voices and for the Glory of God.

Each of the singers has been active in their respective parishes since childhood and each has a true passion for music, especially the music of the Orthodox Church.

Deacon Seth, Anna-Maria and Sophie, along with their peers, are the next generation of church musicians who are ready to become the faithful stewards of our Orthodox choral treasures.

You can link your life to their noble pursuits by partnering with us. Together we will grow the ranks of trained and professional singers and conductors.

Please GIVE to “From Young Voices to God’s Ears” and invest in the next generation.

https://givebutter.com/YoungVoices

Stay tuned for information about performances coming this fall and experience the music live in concert.

Thank you for your support!

PaTRAM™ CEO, Tatiana Geringer, Makes a Big Announcement on Facebook Live!

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Yesterday, Tatiana discussed a very important question on Facebook Live. “How do we preserve and pass on our Orthodox choral music to future generations?“ If you missed it, you can watch the replay on our Facebook page.

Many church-goers, and particularly many of our young church-goers, have never truly experienced the splendor of our Orthodox musical traditions, and simply do not know how music can heal, inspire, comfort, and bring us to a deeper worship experience.

This is the dilemma but, we have a solution and with your help, we can change this.

You can be the catalyst and a partner with PaTRAM™ and 30 young singers from across the country, who are ready to cultivate their talents.

Tatiana made an important announcement yesterday and launched a big campaign, “From Young Voices to God’s Ears” to help train 30 student and developing singers.

Our campaign From Young Voices to God’s Ears is about preserving the sacred music of the Church not by recording a new album but by giving it to the next generation for them to experience. The goal is to raise $33,000 so that we can come alongside 30 promising and committed developing singers to prepare them to become faithful stewards of this music and the master teachers to future generations.

Please GIVE NOW: https://givebutter.com/YoungVoices

We want to complete this fundraising goal in the next few weeks as we have students who are eager to start – and live performances already scheduled for later this year.

Here are some of the ways your gift can make a difference.

  • A gift of $25 can sponsor sheet music and books for our singers
  • A gift of $60 can sponsor a lesson with a master teacher
  • A gift of $100 can sponsor meals for our students
  • A gift of $250 will help cover the cost of transportation and lodging
  • A gift of $600 would cover the complete cost of one student’s pre-concert lessons

If you are capable of giving a larger gift,

  • A gift of $1,000 would provide a complete scholarship for one student
  • A gift of $5,000 would sponsor a concert

Please GIVE today and make a real difference: https://givebutter.com/YoungVoices 

Hear from our supporters. Click the image below:

P.S. We believe that providing this support to these 30 singers will inspire the next group of singers to begin their own journeys to musical excellence. And PaTRAM will be there for them, too. That’s how movements are born.

PaTRAM™ Supporter Spotlight

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Celebrating our supporters is what we love to do!

Last week Tatiana Geringer, PaTRAM CEO, had a chance to catch up with a number of PaTRAM supporters and chat with them about their personal stories; how they came to know PaTRAM; the reason they chose to support us; and the effect orthodox liturgical music has had on their lives and the lives of those around them.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram, and tell us your story, or email Tatiana at tgeringer@patraminstitute.com. We want to hear from you. And stay tuned, there is so much more to come!

As always, we sincerely thank you for your friendship and support.

There’s a Myth. The Myth Is That “Russian” Is a Bad Word

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There’s a myth. The myth is that “Russian” is a bad word.

Someone went so far as to say that the problem with PaTRAM™ is the ‘R’. But we are unabashedly the Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Music Institute™.

The history of the Orthodox church is deeply interwoven with the history of Russia. The music of the church is profoundly intertwined with the rich and vibrant fabric of the Russian culture. The great Russian masters of music, such as Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Chesnokov and Bortniansky, dedicated their lives to composing music of the ages for the ages. These musical jewels must be preserved and shared with generations to come.

Sadly, the standard of church singing has been steadily declining throughout North America, and many of our churches have come to lack the critical element of beautiful and prayerful singing that helps draw people to the “right worship” (orthodoxia or pravoslavie) of the Holy Trinity.

While a small number of Orthodox parishes continue to have on their staff a trained and competent choir director, it is more common for parishes to be challenged merely to find a qualified leader of church singing. Thus, many Orthodox churchgoers today struggle through services marked by lackluster choral performances, often more mechanical than prayerful, rarely experiencing worship in the full beauty of the Eastern Orthodox musical tradition.

This is the problem we seek to solve, and it is a religious and spiritual problem, not a political one.

In this time of political conflict with Russia, Russian culture, traditions and even the Russian Orthodox Faith are being looked upon very negatively by the West. But PaTRAM is non-political and promotes our cultural and religious heritage for future generations.

If this resonates with you, please join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram and let your voice be heard! Comment on our posts and tell us what you love about the Russian Orthodoxy and the music of the Church.

—

Tatiana Geringer

CEO, PaTRAM Institute

John Arlievsky: singer, conductor, composer and pianist

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John Arlievsky is an up-and-coming baritone, conductor, composer and pianist whose recent successes are building momentum towards the start of a fulfilling career in music. Upcoming engagements include recitals at the Smithsonian’s African American Heritage Museum in Washington, DC, and at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Sign in Manhattan; Guglielmo in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in workshop and performances lead by Luke Housner at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia; and the remaining 5/7 concerts in the 2023 season of Osanna Chamber Ensemble as their chief conductor, which opened in March with two immersive performances of Arvo Pärt’s complete Kanon Pokajanen.

Recent performances of note include the title role of Don Giovanni with Peabody Opera Theatre (Laurie Rodgers, cond. and Mary Duncan-Steidl, dir.); an outreach lecture-recital produced by the Denyce Graves Foundation’s Shared Voices initiative; and An Evening of Art Song and Opera Ensemble Showcase concerts at the Castleton Festival as a part of their Vocal Immersion Program. He currently studies voice performance in the studio of Randall Scarlata at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.

John’s most notable operatic work prior to this season includes his German debut as Dr. Falke in Berlin Opera Academy’s production of Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, and several performances with Peabody Opera Theatre: as Blansac in Rossini’s La scala di seta, as Le Genderme in Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias, and in several Opera Scenes programs. In addition to his operatic work, John has appeared in concert as a soloist with the Rockland Symphony and Peabody Concert Orchestras, and has a keen interest in singing art-song in German, Russian, French, and English, having received first prize in the undergraduate division of the 2022 Peabody Art Song Competition.

Currently, John is an inaugural fellow of the Denyce Graves Foundation’s Shared Voices initiative, a unique endeavor connecting promising singers from both top US conservatories and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with the goal of advancing their burgeoning careers while shedding light on historically under-represented figures in vocal music.

John began his studies at Westminster Choir College as a triple major in piano performance, voice performance, and composition. There, he studied voice with Sharon Sweet then (upon her retirement) Elem Eley, piano with James Goldsworthy, composition with Stefan Young and Joel Phillips, and conducting with James Jordan. At Westminster, John made his operatic debut as Don Alfonso in Westminster Opera Theatre’s production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. John received first prize in the several competitions that he entered, awards for which included performance opportunities, cash prizes, and named scholarship grants.

After two successful years at Westminster, John decided to consolidate his focus on voice. Undergoing an extensive transfer audition process, John was offered top scholarships at Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, and was a finalist for acceptance to the Curtis Institute. John is honored to study at Peabody Conservatory with a Premier Talent Scholarship.

In addition to his work as a solo vocalist, John is an active freelance choral singer, singing for professional ensembles across the globe, including Westminster Symphonic Choir, Williamson Voices, Westminster Kantorei, The Same Stream, PaTRAM Institute Male Choir, and NEXT Ensemble. In 2021, John founded the 501(c)(3) semi-professional choir Osanna Chamber Ensemble, which he continues to lead as president, artistic director, and chief conductor.  After a successful debut in August, 2021 in NYC, Osanna continues to produce exciting projects, including a concert series in 2023, an educational outreach program, and an academic residency in development for 2024-25.

Please join us on May 21, 2023 for John’s solo concert and vodka tasting. Tickets are available online and at the door.

The fundraiser concert benefits the Osanna Chamber Ensemble’s 2023 season.