Russian News: Vladimir Gorbik Leads Irkutsk Master Class

The Second State Russian TV channel “Russia” tells about Vladimir Gorbik Master Class and recital in Irkutsk (Russia), November 2 – 5, 2015.

The program included the Russian Sacred music and the work on Requiem of Verdi with the students of Irkutsk Music College of F.Chopin and also the work with students-conductors of this College on their choral and symphony technique of conducting.

Choirmaster from Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery Leads Master Class in Irkutsk

The singing class lasted for 12 hours! Irkutsk was the scene of a unique workshop for church singers given by Vladimir Gorbik, the choirmaster of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery Representation in Moscow. Singers in this regional center prepared very thoroughly for the arrival of the master teacher.

Here we are in Vladimir Gorbik’s Master Class. The choirmaster from the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery began his lesson at nine in the morning and will finish at nine o’clock at night. There are about a hundred people in the hall. Among those singing in the choir are teachers of local music schools and academies. They have gathered from Irkutsk, Angarsk, Bratsk and Shelekhov. But the most important thing in this type of singing is not the singing voice, but faith, the choirmaster says.

“I always try to get as many people as possible involved in this process. Because when a person sings, he or she is blessed. And when people devote their efforts to working for God—and church singing is indeed work for God—their souls take wing and they are inspired. I would not say that we depend solely on professionals to get the job done,” says Vladimir Gorbik.

His work with choirs is beyond politics, Gorbik asserts. He has already taught the same type of master classes in New York, Pennsylvania, and California. He has taught hundreds of American singers about Russian spiritual culture. So in Irkutsk they prepared for Vladimir Gorbik’s arrival thoroughly and for a long time.

“We rehearsed for two weeks, people were learning their scores and making audio recordings, which they sent to him over the Internet, so that he could listen ahead of time. This is the kind of preparatory work that took place here,” – said Anthony Smolin, director of the male choir of the Irkutsk Diocese.

“The sound must be strong, yet soft. Strong from the standpoint of breath support, quiet in terms of volume,” says Choirmaster Gorbik.

For eleven years he has been the chief choir director of the Male Choir of the Moscow Representation (podvor’ye) of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery. He has recorded numerous CDs, not only of worship services, but also of concerts. Today they are preparing for the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy that will take place in Telma (Siberia), on November 4, the day commemorating the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. That same evening, in the Irkutsk Youth Theatre, a gala concert will take place featuring the Verdi Requiem.