On October 18th the community of St. George hosted a Choir Workshop lead by Nadeen Nerenberg. This event, a project of the eastern PA clergy, was a chance to bring a small taste of the Sacred Music Institute to those of our parishioners who are unable to attend the regular SMI. Nadeen was a great fit for this program because she was once the Choir Director for St. George under Fr. Anthony Bassoline. The day began with the 15+ participants chanting the Supplication service of St. Raphael of Brooklyn. This was followed by a light meal and some fellowship. The 1st session of Nadeen’s presentation was a reading of an article once written by Bp. BASIL that addressed the solemnity of the choir ministry. It truly helped to set the tone as one of worship. Having addressed the spiritual side of singing in the Church the 2nd session was dedicated to understanding our physical space and preparation for singing the services. Nadeen covered such things as basic breathing exercises, how to look at the director and not always the book, and how to listen to those around us. The attendees took a break for lunch and more fellowship, enjoying the learning experience and getting to know each other. The final session of the workshop had the participants look at music from different Orthodox traditions and practice them. The goal was to show how each tradition spoke of the same faith while using different melodies; that the belief was the same even if the music was a little different. The day ended with the chanters and combined choir singing the Vespers service. Our hope is that this event can become an annual gathering here in eastern PA.
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