During the week of June 19-24, 2023, Orthodox church musicians from across the country gathered at St Vladimir’s Seminary to hone their vocal, conducting, and compositional skills by studying, rehearsing, and worshiping with American Orthodox liturgical music. Participants chose to attend either the Pre-Institute Intensive on June 19-20, the Summer Music Institute proper (June 20-24), or both events, hosted by the Institute of Sacred Arts at St Vladimir’s Seminary. Each day contained a rigorous and fruitful schedule including multiple rehearsals, lectures, musicianship classes, personal practice time, social hours around mealtimes, and worship within church services at Three Hierarchs Chapel.
The week began with the Pre-Institute Intensive, which gave participants the opportunity to experience a concentrated immersion into three specific areas of liturgical musical study: vocal technique, choir directing, and composition. Offered for the first time ever at the Summer Music Institute, this two-day deep dive was added in response to many requests by the previous year’s attendees and was limited to a maximum of 6 participants per track. Alta Morris, who participated in the choral conducting intensive, related how, as a novice choir director at her home parish, participating in the two-day sessions helped to refine her abilities.
“It was a blessing to receive individual feedback from our instructors, Juliana Woodill and Dn Harrison. They were patient and encouraging, met each of us right where we are, and gave us technical skills to communicate well with our choir…[I] appreciate demonstrations and reminders of how strongly the body language of choir directors influences the sound, attitude, and tone of the choir. I will be meditating on that often.”
Highlights of the week included the new liturgy composed by Benedict Sheehan, Liturgy No. 2, the St Michael’s Service, which was sung in church for the second time ever, on Friday, June 24 during a hierarchical liturgy at Three Hierarchs Chapel, with His Grace Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth presiding. Composers Mother Katherine Weston and Dawn Helene each gave keynote presentations, discussing their own musical journeys and creative processes while introducing attendees to several hymns they had authored.
At the conclusion of the week, attendees had the opportunity to hear their own compositions sung by the entire Institute choir and then critiqued by the instructors in a Composers’ Reading Session. The final evening of the Institute featured a special panel discussion among the monastic attendees of the Institute, who each shared their own experiences composing and arranging church music within the daily liturgical schedule in their communities. On Saturday, June 24, the choir sang an arrangement of the Paraklesis to the Most Holy Mother of God by Hierodeacon David of St Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, PA.
Participants came away with gratitude and amazement at how much was presented, taught, rehearsed, and sung at this year’s Summer Music Institute, also expressing appreciation for the many new friends made and the positive learning atmosphere fostered by the Institute faculty. William Baum, who attended the Pre-Institute Intensive for Composition, as well as the main Summer Institute, said,
“The environment is an extremely collegial one. It's been great to have the opportunity to meet people from all over the United States from all walks of life, and all different skill levels. Everyone has been extremely helpful and friendly. I hadn't been to this conference before, and I didn't know what to expect, but I’m very pleased and impressed with the breadth and depth of the program’s curriculum.”
Multiple recordings were made of the keynote lectures, rehearsals, and church services, which will be available on the St Vladimir’s Seminary YouTube channel for viewing in the near future. If you are interested in learning more about the church composers who participated in this year’s Summer Music Institute, please stay tuned for in-depth pieces on the St Vladimir’s Seminary blog.
