Orthodox Christian Musicians to hold national liturgical music conference August 2-5, 2006

CICERO, IL [OCA Communications/PSALM] — PSALM, a national organization devoted to promoting networking among Orthodox Christian church musicians, is sponsoring its first national conference on Orthodox liturgical music at Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 1220 South 60th Court, Cicero, IL, Thursday-Saturday, August 2-5, 2006.

The conference will consist of presentations, panel discussions, workshops and services designed to provide a balance of study, singing, worship and fellowship on the conference theme, “Sing Praises with Understanding.” It will feature more than 20 internationally known Orthodox musicians and theologians, including composer Ivan Moody and the Very Rev. Thomas Hopko, retired dean of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY.

Mr. Moody will moderate a panel discussion on composing sacred choral music for the English language. Father Hopko will deliver the keynote address, “Asceticism and Creativity.”

Mr. Moody was born in England and studied music and theology at the universities of London and York there and at the University of Joensuu in Finland. His music has been performed and broadcast worldwide, including choral works “Canticum Canticorum I,” “Prayer for the Forests,” and “Passion and Resurrection,” and concertos “Vigil of the Angels,” “Epitaphios,” and “Pnevma.”

Father Hopko holds several academic degrees, including an M. Div. from Saint Vladimir’s and a Ph.D. from Fordham University. He has served as pastor of churches in New York and Ohio. His latest book, “Speaking the Truth in
Love: Education, Mission and Witness in Contemporary Orthodoxy,” was publised by SVS Press in 2004.

Saint Romanos Cappella, a Chicago-based professional vocal ensemble that specializes in Orthodox liturgical music from the Byzantine and Slavic traditions, will perform a concert dedicated to American Orthodox composers on the evening of Thursday, August 3.

Registration for the full three days of the conference is $190 ($175 for PSALM members) with separate daily fees available. The concert is open to the general public with an admission price of $20 for adults and $10 for seniors and students for those not registered for the full conference.

The other evening conference sessions are also open to the public. There is no admission charge for the Wednesday and Friday evening events; however, a freewill offering will be taken.

For a conference schedule, registration form and hotel information, visit PSALM’s Web site at http://www.orthodoxpsalm.org or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). For tickets to the Saint Romanos Cappella concert, call 773-539-9670. For further information on the ensemble, visit www.societyromanos.org/cappella.html. A group rate on hotel rooms is available at the Holiday Inn Expo and Conference Center, Hillside, IL; 708-544-9300.

PSALM is a grass-roots organization founded in 1999 by a group of Orthodox Christian musicians from various Orthodox jurisdictions in North America. Its mission is to build a community of church musicians, clergy and others interested in Orthodox sacred music and to support their musical and spiritual growth through the sharing of knowledge and resources. For further information, visit www.orthodoxpsalm.org.