If you remember vinyl LPs, you might have what we’re looking for!

In the 1970s, Janet Augusta founded the Saint John’s Girls’ Octet with seven other girls from Saint John the Baptist Church, Warren, OH.  The group, which had toured many parishes including several in Alaska, also recorded two vinyl records “From My Youth” and “New Valaamo.”

“With the approval of all the original singers, we are planning to digitize these vinyl records and produce a CD as a tribute to them and for American Orthodox musical historical records as well,” said Vladimir Morosan of San Diego’s Musica Russica.  [Vladimir had been married to Janet prior to her untimely death several years after the recordings were made.]  “These LPs were, in some respects, groundbreaking because they included a number of fresh new settings by several young Orthodox composers and arrangers of the day Fathers Nicholas Harris, Theodore Heckman, John Platko, Ratsko Trbuhovich, and John Matusiak, as well as choir directors Serge Boldireff, Kenneth Kovach, William Kraftician, and Leonard Soroka, among others.”

Plans are to re-release the recordings to a new generation of Orthodox and non-Orthodox listeners, as well as to those who still remember the Octet.

“God willing, we plan to launch the CD at the 16th All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America in November 2011, and to donate a portion of the net profit to Saint Herman’s Seminary, since the octet had been invited to Alaska and focused its recordings around the theme Saint Herman of Alaska and the Orthodox mission to America,” Vladimir continued.  “We are looking for any ‘virgin’ or ‘near virgin’ vinyl original copies of these two records, titled ‘From My Youth’ (yellow/green cover) and ‘New Valaamo’ (purple/magenta cover).”

Vladimir would appreciate hearing from anyone who has copies of one or both vinyls and would be willing to share them.  He may be contacted at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 858-536-9989 as soon as possible.