On Saturday, February 4th at 1 p.m. a prayer service for the sick will be held at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Three Hierarchs Chapel. The Paraclesis (or, lesser supplicatory canon) to the Mother of God will be sung by the seminary community choir, as an intercessory service for all those who are ill, and the seminary invites friends and alumni to attend.

The Paraclesis will be sung to a new setting by composer Robert Sirico, who is the founder of the Orthodox Christian Music Project (OCMP), and a private student of our Assistant Professor of Liturgical Music at the seminary, Dr. Nicholas Reeves. 

The Paraclesis has a long historical precedent for being sung in times of pestilence. Its use today is still widespread in the Orthodox Christian Church, and it provides many with solace in times of need through the intercessions of the Mother of God.

This service will be the culmination of a two-day Master Class on chamber group vocal technique, which will be led by Matushka Robin Freeman, who holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to years of working with the choirs at St. Vladimir's Seminary, she has conducted church choirs, children's choirs, community choirs, university choirs, opera choruses, and chamber ensembles. Matushka Robin also holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and has studied with singers Marietta Simpson, Gale Fuller, and Susan Brooks. The Master Class she is teaching at the seminary will emphasize the interpretation of Znamenny Chant in a variety of choral textures.

"One of the primary goals of this Master Class," notes Dr. Reeves, "is to encourage the use the Paraclesis on a regular basis in the parish or in the home, on behalf of those who are ill.

"Moreover," he continues, "the score of this particular arrangement is malleable, and thus allows for an ensemble of any size to sing the service properly and convincingly. Upon request, the music can be made available for liturgical use."

For an arrangement of the music for this particular Paraclesis, please contact Dr. Nicholas Reeves.

Learn about the ministry of the Orthodox Christian Music Project on their Website, Facebook Page,  and YouTube Channel.