The Orthodox Choral Heritage Foundation

The Orthodox Choral Heritage Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose primary mission and goal is the preservation and cultivation of Orthodox Christian traditions of choral music and chant.

The Orthodox Choral Heritage Foundation began its existence as the Russian Choral Society, a performing organization founded in the 1970s by Basil F. Joukov and Vladimir P. Roudenko, in the New York area, for the purpose of cultivating and disseminating the knowledge and appreciation of Russian Orthodox choral music-—a tradition that, beginning in the 1920s, was severely suppressed in the country of its origins.

After Mr. Roudenko's retirement in the early 1980s, the musical leadership of the choir was assumed by Vladimir Morosan, Doctor of Musical Arts. Under his direction, the choir of the RCS participated in concerts and festivals marking the celebration of the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus' into Christianity.

In connection with celebrating the Millennium, in 1988 the Russian Choral Society sponsored the publication of a series of scholarly editions of Russian sacred choral music—The Monuments of Russian Sacred Music—the aim of which was to make the 1000-year history of Eastern Slavic Orthodox chant as well as the works of major Orthodox composers such as Bortniansky Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Gretchaninoff, Kastalsky, and Chesnokov, and others, accessible to the Western musical world. With endorsements from famed cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich, Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Russian Academician Dmitry Likhachev, and with the assistance of a bequest from Iwan A. Schian, the Russian Choral Society partnered with music publisher Musica Russica to initiate an unprecedented series of editions, which have done much to make Russian, Ukrainian, and other Eastern Orthodox choral music accessible to choral performers and audiences throughout the world.

With the transition of the Russian Choral Society to the Orthodox Choral Heritage Foundation, the essential mission of the organization remains unchanged: to ensure that accurate, authentic sources and subsequent high-quality editions of Orthodox sacred chant and choral music continue to be widely available to performers, scholars, and church musicians around the world. The establishment of the online Orthodox Sacred Music Reference Library is designed to fulfill that mission. We are grateful for your support and patronage.

Board of Directors

Dr. Vladimir Morosan

Dr. Vladimir Morosan, President, is one of the leading experts in the West in the field of Orthodox liturgical music. He is Founder and President of Musica Russica, a publishing company specializing in the publication and dissemination of Orthodox choral music throughout the Western world. As founder and Artistic Director of Archangel Voices, a professional-level choral ensemble, he has recorded six CDs of Orthodox liturgical music in English; he is also the composer and editor of numerous choral arrangements. He has coached numerous professional choirs, including two Grammy-Award-winning choirs performing Russian Orthodox music. He serves as a Project Lead in the Music Department of the Orthodox Church in America. A tonsured reader in the Orthodox Church, he currently serves as Director of Liturgical Singing at St. Katherine Orthodox Mission in Carlsbad, California.

Dr. Julia Klimova

Dr. Julia Klimova, Vice-President, earned her Ph. D. in Anthropology with a dissertation on the topic "Russian Spiritual Soil and the Retrieval of Orthodox Christian Identity among post-Soviet Immigrants to the US." She has served on the faculty of University of California, San Diego in the Department of Anthropology.

Father Andrew Cuneo

Father Andrew Cuneo, Ph. D., Treasurer, is an Orthodox priest, and a scholar of English literature, specializing in C. S. Lewis. He earned his B. A. from Stanford University and his M. Phil, and D. Phil. From Oxford University in England. After spending several years as a professor of English Literature, he completed his theological training at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, and now serves as Rector of St. Katherine Orthodox Mission in Carlsbad, California.

Elena Chernova

Elena Chernova, Board Member, is a doctoral candidate in Musicology at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, Germany, under Christoph Flamm. A graduate of the Volgograd Conservatory, Russia (music theory), she earned a Master of Arts in Historical Musicology at the University of Regensburg, Bavaria. She is currently an independent cataloguer of the Répertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM, the largest organization operating globally with the aim of comprehensively documenting extant historical sources of music all over the world), where she is responsible for Old Russian polyphonic sources.
Her research interests focus on historically informed analytical methods, palaeography and notation of Russian neumatic polyphony, 17th century music theory, composition techniques of late Romanticism, and the limits of tonality.
As part of her dissertation project, “The All-Night Vigil in early Russian polyphony,” a comprehensively commented facsimile edition with transcriptions of project-relevant works is being prepared for publication.

Board of Advisors:

Richard Barrett (Boston) — Founder and Artistic Director, St. John of Damascus Society, a sacred arts organization that seeks to promote excellence in the liturgical music of the Orthodox Christian Church

Oleg Bychkov (Moscow) — Founder of “Zhivonosnïy Istochnik” publishing house for Orthodox liturgical music in Russia

Protodeacon Ioann Drobot (Paris) — Protodeacon at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Paris; liturgical composer, scholar and collector of Orthodox church music

Vladimir Gorbik (Moscow) — Professor of Choral Conducting at the Moscow State Conservatory; Music Director of the Capital Symphony Orchestra; Head Choirmaster of Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God Church;

Paul Jabara (Montreal)— Former Chairman of Sacred Music Department of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

Dr. Peter Jermihov (Chicago) — Russian-American choral and orchestral conductor; Founder and Artistic Director of the Society of St. Romanos the Melodist; Music Director of the PaTRAM Institute Singers

Elizabeth Ledkovsky (New York) — Chairperson of the Eastern American Diocesan Music Commission (ROCOR), granddaughter of eminent Russian Orthodox liturgical composer and choirmaster, Boris Ledkovsky

Dr. Alexander Lingas (London) — Founder and Artistic Director of Cappella Romana (Portland, Oregon), Reader in Music, City, University of London

Katherine Lukianov (Highland Beach, Florida) — Co-Founder of the Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Music Institute (PaTRAM)

Fr. Ivan Moody (+2024) — British Orthodox composer and conductor; Former Chairman of the International Society for Orthodox Church Music; writer and scholar of Orthodox liturgical music

Dr. Marina Rakhmanova (+2022) — Senior Scholar of the State Institute for the Study of the Arts, Moscow; editor-in-chief of the series Russian Sacred Music in Documents and Materials

Dr. Kurt Sander (Cincinnati) — American Orthodox composer; Professor of Music Theory and Composition, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky

Dr. Nicolas Schidlovsky (Princeton) — Dean and Professor of Sacred Music, Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, Jordanville, NY; Russian-American scholar of Russian Orthodox liturgical chant; Co-Founder of the Russian Orthodox Church Musicians’ Conference (ROCOR)

Benedict Sheehan (Pennsylvania) — American Orthodox composer and conductor; Director of Music at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and Monastery; Founder and Artistic Director of the Choir of St. Tikhon’s Monastery

Projects

orthodoxchoral.org

The Orthodox Sacred Music Reference Library (OSMRL) is a multilingual Internet-based resource that makes available accurate and authentic sources of choral scores by major Orthodox composers, primarily in the form of facsimiles of first editions in PDF format.

The OSMRL allows any interested individual who seeks a deeper understanding of Orthodox music and culture

to become fully acquainted with the output of prominent composers through their scores,
to download them as needed,
to listen to available recordings of individual works, and
to be directed to links for existing sheet music publications and audio recordings.

We expect that the materials presented in the OSMRL will generate new scholarly studies, editions, and concert programs of these works, thus expanding and broadening interest in Orthodox music and culture.

The material included in the Orthodox Sacred Music Reference Library meets the following criteria:

Original manuscripts by prominent Orthodox composers (scanned facsimiles or PDFs)
Published first editions of works by prominent Orthodox composers prepared under the composers' supervision
Published secondary editions of works by prominent Orthodox composers prepared using accepted scholarly techniques (citation of sources and clear differentiation between the composer's own material and editorial additions)

Examples of material that is not intended for inclusion:

Arrangements and adaptations for other types of voicing
Adaptations into other languages
Secondary editions in which the sources and editorial procedure are not identified.

Our Honor Roll of Sponsors

We would like to thank the following organizations and individuals who have offered their support to the development of the Orthodox Sacred Music Reference Library:

Patrons ($5,000 and over)

Ivan V. Koulaieff Foundation
The Russian Nobility Association in America
The Orthodox Vision Foundation
The Sushko Memorial Grant, received through the Russian Orthodox Theological Fund, Inc.
The Roeder Fund
Dcn. Vyacheslav and Matushka Katya Adams

Benefactors ($1,000 to $4,999)

The Elsie Skvir Ganister Foundation Fund
The Glenmede Donor Advised Fund
Fr. Jon Braun
Roy Campbell
Archpriest Alexander Garklavs
Mark Lypeckyj
Sergey Olhovsky
Anna Rodzianko
Dr. Donald and Svetlana Schilke

Supporters ($500 to $999)

Society of Saint Romanos the Melodist, Chicago, Illinois
Bishop Benedict Churchill
Richard Barrett
Serge Liberovsky
Katherine Lukianov
Daniel Morosan
Tatiana Rodzianko
A. Dennis Sparger
Walter Stamirowski
+ Bernard Wilson
Zinaida Zack

Contributors ($250 to $499)

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Howell, NJ
St. Tikhon's Monastery, Waymart, Pennsylvania
University of Kansas Library
Elizabeth Bezzerides
+ Truman Bullard
Paula Daubert
Tania Ertl
Fr. Mikel Hill
Parker Jayne
George and Tatiana Joukov
Anastasia Kappanadze
Paul Kappanadze
Nadieszda Kizenko
Yulia Klimova
Alexander Lingas
Fr. Sergius Lukianov
Tatiana Morosan
Vladimir Morosan
Alexander Nediak
Archpriest Peter Perekrestov
Tatyana Rodzianko
Joshua Toroney

Donors ($100 to $249)

Bach Society of St. Louis
Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, Harrisburg Pennsylvania
Harvard University Choral Program, Dr. Andrew Clark
Music of the Continents, LLC
RBO (Russian Brotherhood Organization of the USA)
Saint Mark Orthodox Church, Bethesda, Maryland
Anonymous, in memory of Dr. Marina V. Ledkovsky
Fr. Michael R. Abrahamson
Paul Andrews
Lynne Attaway
Victor and Edie Avdonin
Julia Azrael
Igor Baumann
Joseph Bernard
Helen Billak
Bernard Brandt
Stan Bryan
Andy Clark
Alexander Cooley
Paul Davidson
Laryssa Doohovskoy
Protodeacon Brendan Doss
Dr. Rodney Eichenberger
Nicole Eicker
Dr. Michael Farrow
Lorinda Fortuin
Kevin Fritts
Michelle Ganson
Paula Genis
Marina Glagolev
Anya Gogoua
Mark Hrebinka
Maria Ignatow Bandrauk
Brian Jackson
David Janello
Julia Karobkoff
Adam Kemner
Alexia Kolias
Katherine Lukin
Michael Maertens
Mike Malouf
Maria Matsushima
Rachael Morissette
Katia Morosan
Michael Needleman
Alena Plavsic
Tatiana Popov
Diane Prokipchak
+ Archpriest Daniel Ressetar
Fr. John Robinson
Dr. Nicolas Schidlovsky
Anastasia Schmoll
Carole Shumaik
George Skok
Archpriest Daniel Skvir
Dr. Jessica Suchy-Pilalis
Maria Takala-Roszczenko
Bruce Tammen
Kent Tritle
Rob Turtle
Jeff Vanderwielen
Fr. Steven Vernak
Diane Veter
Carol Wetmore
Kim Wittel

Friends (to $99)

Atlanta Master Chorale
Russian Orthodox Cathedral "Joy of All the Sorrowful," San Francisco
Archpriest Michael Anderson
Nick Anton
Dr. Matthew Arndt
Lynne Attaway
Andrei Austin
Damian Baker
Elizabeth Basanec
Blagovest Bells
Greg Berezniak
Andrea Birdsong
Elena Borowski
Peter Breykin
Debbie Brown
Barbara Bryant
Eileen Byrnes
Mary Barniak Caetta
Kristofer J. Carlson
Fr. Joseph Cirou
John Considine
Matt Deluca
Carolyn Turner DeWolfe
William and Joan Dupkanick
Harley Dyck
Priest Gregory Ealy
Tracey Edson
Daniel Elmer
Chris Farha
Ryan Fellman
Timothy Fetzko
Nicholas Ganson
Victoria Girasole
Archpriest Seraphim Gisetti
Narelle Gorman
Olga Grigoriants
Richard Grylls
Margaret Haig
Christopher J. Hoh
Kate Peterson Howell
Mike Husson
Anthony Jacobs
Simon Jeeves
Temmo Korisheli
Ann McClellan Lardas
Kevin Lawrence
Victoria Legkikh
Cynthia Mamary
Priest Andrew Merritt
Dcn. Jeff Mierzejewski
Glenn Miller
Rebecca Mitchell
Susan Motoviloff
Paul Nahass
Jacqueline Nenchin
Irina Orloff
Mike Palmer
Arjun Pathy
Ekaterina Piskareva
Ivan Podvalov
Patricia Rabe
Xenia Rahr
Alex Rasmussen
Hieromonk Juvenaly (Repass)
Stephen Reynolds
Archpriest Basil Rhodes
Archpriest Dennis Rhodes
Christian Richard
Sandy Romanofsky
Romanos Music and Books
Marina Roudenko
Michael Sa
Tony Samardzich
Dr. Kurt Sander
Larissa Kaminsky Sander
David Sekicky
Michael Sluggett
Ralph Stell
Dcn. Anthony Stokes
Jason Thoms
Nadia Trimmer
Margaret Walton
Mark Wesche
Matthew Wettlaufer
Archpriest Matthew Williams
Cheryl Wilson
Thou Yang

We also express our appreciation to:

• Elena Chernova and Eugen Babeschko for the graphic concept and design

• Endpoint Corporation and their staff of programmers and developers

• Everlabs Corporation and their staff of programmers and developers

Your Financial Support Is Needed

The Orthodox Sacred Music Reference Library (OSMRL) exists because of the generosity of donors who appreciate the cultural significance of this resource for future generations of performers and scholars. The project has been initiated through a grant from the Russian Orthodox Theological Fund, based in New York. It receives no institutional or government funding, however.

To bring the project to a successful completion and to maintain it, your support is needed. There are costs associated with scanning and adding material to the OSMRL, as well as monthly hosting and technical support fees.

To ensure the ongoing maintenance of the OSMRL, the Orthodox Choral Heritage Foundation has undertaken the establishment of an endowment fund income from which will be used to cover maintenance and technical support costs over an extended period of time. Donations made to the Orthodox Choral Heritage Foundation are fully tax-deductible under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3). The organization’s Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 83-1444995.

Sample amounts:

$50 – Pays for two hours of cataloging work or one month of web hosting
$100 – Pays for five hours of data verification and management or one month of web hosting and tech support
$250 – Pays for ten hours of scanning and indexing

Contact

Dr. Vladimir Morosan

President

orthodoxchoral [at] gmail.com