PaTRAM Institute Concert in Saratov Russia August 2019

Part 2: The Future of Sacred Music – One Man’s Story

Last week, we shared with you the first part of our story featuring Nektary Kotlaroff, an exemplary young singer, conductor, and composer. Please click here to read Chapter 1 if you missed it.

Chapter 2: 

In February 2017, Nektary Kotloraff conducted his first male choir Liturgy at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Sydney, Australia. Of the experience Nektary wrote that, “I felt that during that Liturgy, we had glorified God to our fullest potential from the bottom of our hearts, minds and souls.” The performance was recorded and uploaded to Youtube.

Not long after that, Nektary found PaTRAM Institute™ on social media and saw a post about Vladimir Gorbik. Nektary connected with Maestro Gorbik on Facebook and sent him the link to the first male choir Liturgy. Maestro Gorbik then offered to do conducting lessons with Nektary via Skype. Four months later, Nektary’s family took a trip to Moscow where he met Maestro Gorbik in person. Maestro Gorbik invited him to conduct the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra Representation-Podvorie choir during certain pieces of the Vigil service on their feast day of St. Sergius.

Meanwhile, PaTRAM™ was beginning to assemble a male choir for our 2019 CD recording in Saratov, Russia. Thanks to Maestro Gorbik who introduced him to PaTRAM, Nektary was asked to participate as a pro baritone on the recording of the “More Honorable than the Cherubim” CD. Nektary is exactly the type of aspiring church musicians we hope to discover, educate, and cultivate in order to further our mission to develop and spread beautiful liturgical music throughout the world. Nektary was clearly talented, but more than that, he was also devoted to improving his skills and developing his knowledge of the choral arts.

So in 2019, Nektary made the journey from his home in Australia to Saratov, Russia. He was then just 20 years old and poised to take advantage of a unique opportunity halfway around the world.