Singers from the St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) community kept a busy schedule in the month of December, performing at two concerts and spreading Nativity season cheer at a local nursing home.
On December 8, the St. Vladimir’s Seminary Chorale partnered with Ancient Faith Ministries and the Choir from Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, East Meadow, NY to present an evening of carols, hymns, and scripture readings in preparation for the celebration of the Holy Nativity of our Lord. Under the direction of Robin Freeman and former SVOTS faculty member Dr. Nicholas Reeves, Holy Trinity’s choir director, the combined choirs sang familiar carols and Orthodox liturgical hymns interspersed with readings from the Old and New Testaments.
Watch a replay of the concert, performed at Holy Trinity, here.
The very next evening back on the Seminary campus, on December 9, the Chorale performed alongside The Westchester Chorale, recognized as one of the region’s leading musical ensembles.
“It was a true pleasure for us to host The Westchester Chorale. The entire evening was built around the theme of how music, and specifically singing, unites us,” said SVOTS Director of Music Robin Freeman. “To that end, we opted to arrange the chairs in a circle so that everyone, including the audience, would feel included in the experience. Singing is for everyone, and so, at the end of the program, everyone joined us in singing a few Christmas carols. I hope it will be the first of many collaborations!”
A short clip of the performance can be viewed here.
On Friday, December 14, members of SVOTS’ choir and community members continued the tradition of Christmas caroling at Sunrise of Crestwood nursing home near Seminary campus. The gathering provided the SVOTS’ community a chance to share the joy of the Nativity in song with the residents there and to celebrate the end of the semester together.
