June 2018 Music Symposium Registration Now Open
Minneapolis, MN – The International Society for Orthodox Church Music (www.isocm.com) will host, for the second time, a Pan-Orthodox music symposium at St Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral here from Wednesday, June 20 through Sunday, June 24, 2018. Registration for the event is now open.
The event will explore the theme of "Orthodox Liturgical Music: Ancient and Modern Creativity" through presentations and workshops, music reading sessions, rehearsals, and will culminate in a festive hierarchical All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy. Organizers hope the theme will inspire participants to reflect on their role and responsibility in creating a liturgical experience which engages the faithful in the liturgical life of the church.
Participants who complete their registration before February 1, 2018 will receive an early-bird discount. The symposium is open to anyone involved or interested in all aspects of music-making in the Orthodox Church – chanters, choir singers, composers, conductors, and musicologists.
The chairman of the ISOCM Board, Archpriest Ivan Moody, noted that, “This, the second international symposium we have organized in the United States, builds upon the huge success of the previous edition, in 2016, and will similarly, in its broad scope, enable us all to learn from each other and together enrich the worship of the Church.”
A keynote address, discussing creative solutions in contemporary Orthodox church music, will be given by Professor Bogdan Djaković, ISOCM board member and professor at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, Serbia.
Professor Djaković’s presentation will be held in the afternoon of Saturday, June 23 for symposium participants and the general public.
“We're very pleased to be able to keep our momentum going with the 2018 Symposium," said Richard Barrett, one of the organizers for the Symposium. "Next year's program will provide ample opportunities for participants to learn about what other people are doing, as well as to connect with old friends and new acquaintances.”
Attendees in Minneapolis will have the opportunity to participate in daily choir rehearsals in preparation for the Hierarchical All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy, which will take place on Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24, 2018 respectively. Participants will have the opportunity to sing in one of three choirs on each kliros and in the cathedral’s loft.
“For this symposium, we have chosen a theme that allows us to reflect on our received musical traditions while also considering the future,” said Father Ivan. “We hope the presentations at the symposium, as last time, will stimulate deep discussion and motivation for greater collaboration among those who participate in the music of the Orthodox Church throughout the world.”
Past ISOCM events have proved very effective to spur collaboration. Father Ivan noted that, “bringing together church musicians from different traditions and different countries is a uniquely effective way of effecting a Pan-Orthodox witness both to the universality of the faith and the diversity of its traditions.”
In addition to Dr. Djaković, the symposium will feature presentations by other international and US-based specialists in the field of Orthodox liturgical music. “The paper proposals we've received indicate that there's a high level of excellence in the world of Orthodox music, and we are looking forward to sharing the full schedule and program with everybody in January,” said Richard Barrett.
Registration and a fee schedule, hotel and travel details, and a tentative schedule are available at www.orthodoxmusicsymposium.org
The complete schedule, selection of workshops, presentation and practica along with musical settings will be available in early 2018. It should be noted that, since the 2018 Symposium falls within the Apostles’ Fast, fasting food will be served at all meals.