Yonkers, NY seminaries to present sacred concert November 25
Choirs from two Yonkers theological schools representing Eastern and Western Christendom will present a combined a cappella concert, titled “Magnificat: Hymns to the Mother of God from the East and West,” at 8:00 p.m. at Saint Jean Baptiste Church, 184 East 76 Street, New York, NY on Monday evening, November 25, 2013.
The Male Choir from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary will join the Schola from Saint Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in praise of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, who holds a place of honor in both traditions.
“I’m confident that this sort of joint venture has never been done between an Orthodox and Roman Catholic Seminary before,” said Archpriest Dr. Chad Hatfield, Chancellor/CEO of Saint Vladimir’s, “and this is a sign of a renewal of a once close relationship that had gone fallow. It’s a rebirth that will suit the needs of both seminaries.”
Msgr. Peter Vaccari, rector of Saint Joseph’s Seminary, in describing his hopes for the concert said, “This will be an evening of sacred hymns dedicated to the Mother of God, which reflects our vibrant, living traditions. It represents the most recent phase of what has been a growing tradition of collaboration and communication in prayer, the promotion of a culture of scholarship, and our mutual recognition of the place of beauty in artistic expression as integral to the promotion of the new evangelization!”
Concert selections from the Orthodox tradition will illustrate the Eastern Church’s feasts dedicated to the Theotokos (Greek for “Mother of God”), while music from the Roman Catholic tradition will include time-honored hymns of laudation to the Virgin Mary spanning ancient chant and the classical period through modern times, such as O Sanctissima by Beethoven and Ave Maria by Biebl. Critics have praised the venue in Saint Jean Baptiste’s as “a perfect acoustical setting in New York City.”
Tickets may be purchased online for $25, with limited tickets sold at the door one hour prior to the concert. For more information and to download a poster of the event, visit Upcoming Events at www.svots.edu.