Did you know that YOU are touching so many lives with the transformative and eternal power of Orthodox music? PaTRAM Institute is committed to sharing the rich and vast heritage of Russian Orthodox choral music with all who will listen, and THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT, the music of the Church has reached the ears and hearts of listeners in over 100 nations.

The glorious tradition of church singing dates back at least a thousand years, and you are enriching humanity by keeping this music alive. Thank you!

We are blessed that our newest musical offering, which honors the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who gave birth to God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, has been well received. The unique program of the album, entitled More Honourable than the Cherubim, is selected from a vast array of hymns, which have inspired composers and comforted the hearts of the faithful in times of both celebration and tribulation. We hope you are enjoying this collaboration of orthodox faith and sacred music for worship.

Downloading the music, purchasing a CD and leaving your review brings awareness and inspires other believers and non-believers alike to listen and learn about the music of the Church.  Please consider supporting the work of PaTRAM Institute by purchasing the gift of music for a loved one or for yourself.

We wish you a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving and offer our sincere gratitude for your continued support!

PaTRAM Institute™ presents an insider’s look into the recording’s development process, featuring new photos and a beautiful hymn with an earth shaking, very rarely heard Contra D note at the conclusion of the video.

We invite you to embark on a journey with the PaTRAM Institute Male Choir to remote Saratov, Russia. Enjoy the array of newly released photographs, live videos, and of course, music from the “More Honourable than the Cherubim” album.

This is a story that united people from across the globe who came together to create a very special musical jewel to be treasured today and for generations to come. The adventure is just a click away.

They continue to stream into our mailboxes for this CD!

PaTRAM Institute™ is extremely pleased with yet another review for their newest CD, “More Honourable than the Cherubim”. This week’s review comes from William Kempster, of Fanfare Magazine, a prominent classical music periodical.

Mr. Kempster, who has never reviewed a PaTRAM CD, writes:  “This is a magnificent new disc that will certainly be among my records of the year.” We urge our listeners to read the full review for complete context.

At this point, noting that more than one reviewer has designated this a real possibility, it can be said that this CD is hurtling toward an annual “best of..” title. Further, we are hopeful that will translate into a third Grammy nomination, as well.

We urge our listeners to consider supporting PaTRAM Institute by purchasing a digital download, physical CD or enjoy streaming this album and all PaTRAM music at most mainstream outlets.

PaTRAM would also LOVE to hear from our listeners and supporters. If your CD purchase is on Amazon please don’t forget to post a review there, too! We would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again for your support.

Memory eternal to the ever-memorable Father Valery on the third anniversary of his repose in the Lord. Christ is Risen!

Memory eternal entoned by Alexis Lukianov with the PaTRAM Institute Singers, Blessed Art Thou among Women CD.

Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov was born on December 21, 1927 in the city of Shanghai (Republic of China) into the family of Simeon Mikhailovich Lukianov and Zoya Stepanovna Suhanova. He completed the full curriculum at the classical gymnasium, receiving his Certificate of Maturity in 1945. As a result of the wartime situation in China, he was evacuated in January 1949 to a refugee camp on the island of Tubabao (Philippines) and arrived in the United States in 1950.

In 1951, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served for two years in the Corps of Engineers. On June 13, 1954, he married Irene Petrovna Motcharsky, daughter of Mitred Archpriest Peter and Raisa Vasilyevna Motcharsky; they had five sons: Alexis, Serge, Nicholas, John, and Alexander. On June 15, 1955 Fr. Valery graduated cum laude from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering Degree.

After working as a civil engineer for several years, he enrolled at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York and graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Theology Degree. In 1959, Fr. Valery was tonsured a reader, then, successively, ordained a subdeacon, deacon (by His Eminence John, Archbishop of San Francisco, now gloried as a saint), and presbyter (by Metropolitan Philaret Voznensensky) and, over the course of nearly 60 years, rose through virtually all the clerical honors and awards to the rank of a mitred protopresbyter with the honor to wear 2 pectoral crosses, the highest rank of a married priest.

Having been assigned rector of St. Alexander Nevsky Church in Howell, New Jersey in 1968, he fulfilled various administrative roles within the Church hierarchy beyond the functions of a parish priest, including serving as the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in the Holy Land and chairman of the Synodal Arts & Architecture Commission, but remained attached to this parish for nearly 60 years until his passing on May 25, 2018.

One of his greatest achievements as a cleric and civil engineer is considered to be the building of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (initiated in 1989 and consecrated in 1997) which stands today as a magnificent edifice and Herculean accomplishment; it is an architectural gem and truly an adornment of the Russian Orthodox Church in North America.

A prolific author, visionary leader, gifted pastor, and shining example of Christian piety and love, Fr. Valery rose to become a stalwart spiritual force in America and is now regarded as one of the most honored priests of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) of the Post-1917 Revolution Era.

CHRIST IS RISEN! ХРИСТОС ВОСКРЕСЕ!

Dear Friend of PaTRAM,

Despite difficulties, delays and postponements due to the global pandemic, PaTRAM Institute is still fully committed to bring this important, prayerful project to fruition. The Rachmaninoff Recording and Concert Tour is NOW scheduled for OCTOBER 2021 in beautiful SERBIA!

In these challenging times, we believe that collaborating through our Orthodox faith and creating beautiful music for worship builds bridges of understanding among people, brings hope, and unites our world through prayer.

Our recording will be a first-of-its-kind, international Male Choir CD of one of the greatest compositions in all of Orthodox music – Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil. The extravagantly gifted Maestro Ekaterina Antonenko will conduct the 50 member PaTRAM Institute Male Choir, featuring 25 choristers from North America and Serbia and 25 choristers from Russia.  The CD will be produced and mastered by our long time, multi-Grammy Award winning partners, Soundmirror.

The PaTRAM Male Choir will also perform a concert tour in Serbia! Very special concert venues have been chosen for the event!

You can be a part of this incredible musical endeavor! Did you know that there are many ways you can help to bring this important project to fruition?

WE ARE SO CLOSE TO OUR GOAL!

Can YOU help raise the $50,000 still needed to make this prayerful project a reality? Here is how you can help:

• Donate directly to the Rachmaninoff Project. All donations large and small are important to reaching our goal and are gratefully appreciated.
• Partner with PaTRAM Institute as a Sponsor. You or your company could assist with transportation, accommodations, and meals for the singers
• Become an Associate Executive Producer of the album and join us in Serbia for a musical adventure like no other!

IMPORTANT!

We are happy to bring your commemoration slips to ALL Divine Liturgies attended by PaTRAM in Serbia. Please send them directly to a.milas@patraminstitute.org. A suggested donation of $25 is deeply appreciated, but even if you cannot donate at this time, we will be happy to pray for you and your loved ones in the holiest places of Serbia. Please send the names of the Living and the Reposed to our Executive Director, Alex Milas, a.milas@patraminstitute.org.

Click to download commemoration slips.

Thank you, and may the Lord bestow His blessings upon you and your loved ones!

This week we introduce Richard Barrett, tenor. Richard is an Orthodox church musician, choral singer and scholar. He is the Executive Director of AGES Initiatives, which distributes service texts and liturgical music to Orthodox parishes throughout the world, and Artistic Director of the Saint John of Damascus Society, which supports the performance and dissemination of Orthodox sacred music. Since 2015, he has served as Director of Music at Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Somerville, MA. He has a performer’s certificate in Byzantine music from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and has been an invited clinician, speaker, and guest cantor at Orthodox churches throughout the country. He is also the co-host of the podcast, “A Sacrifice of Praise: The Living Tradition of Byzantine Music in America.”

He sings regularly with multiple ensembles, including Cappella Romana, the Patriarch Tikhon Choir, and Psaltikon. Richard sang with PaTRAM choirs on: “Praise The Lord, All Ye Nations”, “The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom” and “Blessed Art Thou among Women”. He has worked with conductors such as Alexander Lingas, Benedict Sheehan, Peter Jermihov, Marcel Pérès and Vladimir Gorbik.

In addition to a variety of publications and presentations, recently he was an invited speaker at “Byzantine Chant in the Anglosphere”, an event sponsored by City University of London in memory of Archimandrite +Ephrem (Lash). He holds a B. Mus. in vocal performance and an M. A. in Ancient History, both from Indiana University, and has done further work in Modern Greek studies.

Voice teachers include Dennis Kruse, Erich Parce, and Dale Moore, and Richard has also studied Byzantine chant with Ioannis Arvanitis, John Michael Boyer, and Fr. Romanos Karanos.