This website introduces the Russian Choir Ensemble from St. Petersburg, Russia. Listed below are their names, their music, and the story of their tour, as told by their hosts. For their complete story, click here to visit their website.
Introduction
The Russian Choir Archiglas is a group of five talented soloists
who sing a cappella (voice only). All the members are professional
singers with several years of experience as soloist and choir
conductors. In Russia, the choir members work as soloists or choir
conductors in the service of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well
as in the Philharmonic Society and Opera. Their principal goals
are to preserve the original traditions of the Russian vocal school
as well as encourage young singers in the field of Christian music.
A special purpose is to maintain continuity of liturgical music
from early times to today; therefore, their repertoire includes
older musical scores of the Russian monastic tradition as well
as works by the famous Russian composers.
Their objective is an ecumenical and cultural exchange that builds friendships based on Christian vocal traditions from different countries. They also want to make Russian Orthodox Church music well known in other countries and promote the Russian traditions of singing, a heritage of St. Petersburg. They are not related to, or associated with, any political parties in Russia. The singers are members of various churches in St. Petersburg, and participate in worship as often as three times a day, seven days a week.
The vocal ensemble's first North American visit, during the Fall of 1998, was to the US (NY, NH, PA and DE) and Canada (Ontario). This Spring, their North American tour will take them to the US (NJ, MD, PA, NY) and Canada from mid-March until early-May. They will visit 17 cities in 7 weeks, performing more than 30 times. This Fall, they have tentative plans to visit the US from the end of October until the end of November.
There is no charge for admission to their concerts; however, at the end of the performance, a free will offering is collected for the benefit of the ensemble. This is their only compensation. They get no support from North American or Russian organizations. It is the generosity of their hosts and audiences that allows them to be able to share their talents with our communities.
21-24.03 Livingston, NJ.
Dr. L. Richard Vossler <richard_vossler@juno.com>
Grace Lutheran Church (http://www.hows.net/07039glc)
Natalia, Andrey, Nikolay, Anastasia and Dmitry arrived at JFK
on schedule on Sunday morning, March 21. After their van ride
to Livingston, NJ, they relaxed with their host families and prepared
for their upcoming activities. Monday was filled with practice,
a short concert at a local retirement community, culminating with
the main concert at Grace Lutheran Church before over 120 people
and a reception following the concert. Everyone was very impressed
with their singing, as well as their warmth and friendliness.
In fact, some of the residents at the retirement community came
to their second concert in the evening.
Tuesday was spent visiting New York City, where they saw Central Park, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty (from the Staten Island Ferry). That evening they were our guests at our monthly Family Night, which included a pot-luck supper and fellowship. On Wednesday they boarded a bus and headed for Baltimore and their next concert. Our church was very blessed to have been able to host these five musicians. We look forward to being able to host them again on their next concert tour. top
24-25.03 Reisterstown, MD
John Farrell <jrfarrell@home.com>
Reisterstown Baptist Church <http://www.reisterstown.org/baptistchurch/>
Russicum arrived on Wednesday afternoon in Baltimore by Greyhound
Bus from Newark, NJ. They traveled to the Reisterstown Baptist
Church to practice before having dinner. After dinner, they went
back to the church to meet members of the church, including the
Wednesday evening youth groups, whose elementary school group
exchanged songs with Russicum. On Thursday, they visited the Baltimore
Washington Monument, the National Aquarium at the Inner Harbor,
and enjoyed lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.
The concert started at the church at 7 PM. Nearly 80 people attended with many visitors from the local community, including a number of Russian immigrants. The concert was followed by a reception. Their performance was a blessing for our church and community. The only thing more enjoyable than their performance was getting to know each of them personally. We look forward to their return on their next concert tour, as well. Their hosts from Springfield, PA, picked them up by car in Reisterstown and drove them to Pennsylvania. top
26-27.03 Springfield, PA.
Ruth Lohmeyer <L1nn@aol.com>
Saint Matthew Lutheran
It was with great joy and excitement that I traveled to Reisterstown,
MD to pick up Russicum on Friday, March 26th. Saint Matthew Lutheran
Church hosted the group last fall so I knew the treat we would
have in hearing their concert and being in their company for the
weekend. Traveling from Reisterstown, MD to Springfield, PA we
stopped at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA for lunch and
to enjoy the wonderful sights and aromas of spring flowers both
in the gardens and inside the conservatory. I still smile remembering
how Dmitry's nose and beard became covered with yellow pollen
due to his smelling of the many flowers!
On Friday evening more than 200 people (many from the community and various Russian churches) enjoyed the concert and meeting the individual members of Russicum at a reception. On Saturday, Anastasia and Nikolay were taken for a tour of historic Philadelphia; while Dmitry, Andrey and Natalia (who had seen historic Philadelphia last fall) went to the Philadelphia Art Museum, South Street, Delaware River for a picnic, shopping, etc. The members of Russicum, their host families, Pastors of Saint Matthew and several other guests enjoyed Saturday supper together at the church. On Palm Sunday we had the pleasure of having the members of Russicum join us for worship and hearing yet one more time their marvelous voices joining together in praise of our Savior. Early Sunday afternoon we bid Dmitry, Andrey, Nikolay, Anastasia and Natalia farewell as they traveled to Quakertown, PA. The world becomes a little smaller and more friendly when we meet people from other parts of the world. Our congregation has been blessed by knowing the members of Russicum and experiencing their concerts. Already eager to hear the dates of their next trip to North America. top
28-2.04 Quakertown, PA.
Kurt Pfitzer <kap4@Lehigh.EDU>
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Quakertown
Sunday, March 28, was my first red-letter date. That's when I
drove to Springfield, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, to pick the
Russicum singers up from St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. Seeing
the singers again was like seeing family. We drove directly to
Allentown, to the home of Alla and Zhenya Alexandrin, a Russian-American
couple who hosted three of the singers. (The other two stayed
with a Lehigh University Russian professor in Bethlehem).
On Monday, March 29, Russicum performed before a crowd of almost 300 in Central Moravian Church, in Bethlehem. On Tuesday, they sang at a small church, the Freedom of Faith Russian Lutheran Church, in Northeast Philadelphia. On Wednesday, March 31, they captivated a near-capacity audience of 140 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Quakertown. To say we were thrilled is understatement. The sacred music was divine; the folk songs were superb. The group can sustain and shape a phrase like few full choirs I've heard, their timing and pitch are impeccable, and their expression is wonderful. The audience brought each soloist back for second and third bows. People from several churches pitched in to provide a fine selection of desserts afterwards.
On Thursday, Dmitry and I drove to Pennsauken, N.J., to order CD and cassette copies made from the master CD the group brought from Russia. I will send more information on this later. On Friday, the group rehearsed. The Alexandrins hosted a party for the choir Friday night. How I wish now that I'd continued with Russian all those years ago at the University of Alaska. The group's new tenor, Nikolai, by the way, speaks very good German, and has a wonderful voice. His similarly talented wife, Anastasia, the new mezzo-soprano, sings twice a day at a Russian Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg. Andrei is continuing with his operatic career, while Natasha is performing professionally with a light opera company. Dmitry is conducting choirs, and studying symphonic conducting. top
3-7.04 Scranton, PA
Steven Dougherty <DOUGHERTYS1@UofS.edu>
Saint Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church <http://nyssa.cecs.uofs.edu/stmary.html>
It was a great delight to have the Russicum with us. We picked
them up on Holy Saturday and drove directly to our Church where
they joined us for Easter Matins. The next day they sang for us
at our Pascha Divine Liturgy; truly inspiring. The parish rejoiced
in such wonderful music for the most important day of the Church
year.
To quote our priest, Father Frank Twardzik: "All of us had a wonderful experience on Easter Sunday when we out stripped Cathedrals with the sheer magnificence of professional, soul felt music unequal to anything we're familiar with, when the Russicum Singers sang at Pascha Liturgy." The entire congregation greatly appreciated this wonderful music from our Liturgical Tradition. With great enthusiasm we proclaimed: Christos Voskrese! (Christ Is Risen!).
It was also a great joy to have them spend Easter with my family and join us for Easter dinner. After a long day of singing and dining the group was able to rest before three days of concerts.
On Easter Monday, the group took a trip to the Mall for some shopping. At night they gave a concert at St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church in Scranton. There were about 150 people in attendance. Following the concert we had a very good meal at a local restaurant. After an amusing encounter with the waiter, we all had a very nice dinner. Although the meal was truly enjoyable it was the company that made the evening memorable.
On Easter Tuesday, some of the group relaxed and watched movies while Dmitry visited St. Peter's Cathedral in downtown Scranton. That night they gave a concert at St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church in Kingston. There were close to 200 people in attendance. A professional video recording of the concert was made. Following the concert we joined their parish community in the Church hall for some traditional Russian Pascha cuisine.
On Easter Wednesday, some of the group went shopping while others listened to music. Then they visited the Basilica of St. Ann in Scranton. Later they gave a concert at Saints Peter and Paul's Byzantine Catholic Church in Bethlehem. There were about 100 people in attendance.
On Thursday we drove them to Binghamton to meet the bus to Cobelskill. Needless to say, we were sorry to see them go. We look forward with great anticipation to their return.
A return to Scranton in May
On May 6 we brought the group back to Scranton. At 12:00 on May
7, the group sang at the Roman Catholic Cathedral, in Scranton
at the Red Mass (the annual mass for the lawyers and judges of
the city). They sang before the mass and during communion for
a congregation of about 600 people. They were very well received.
The mass was said by the Bishop of Scranton and the homilist was
the
President of the University of Scranton. He later mentioned to
me how much he enjoyed the group's singing. The mass was televised
in the Scranton area.
After the mass, my wife, my children and I took the group out shopping for a while. While there, several people recognized the group from TV.
At 7:00 they sang for a mass at Saint Ann's Basilica. This mass was televised nationally. They sang during the offertory and during communion. Following the mass the group gave a concert for about 100 people. As usual the singing was magnificent and filled the large basilica. The rector of the Basilica was visibly moved by the absolute beauty of the music.
Following the concert we took the group out to dinner and then back to my house.
The next morning the group was heading to New York. Fortunately for me, I received a Providential gift, namely we needed an additional car to take the group into New York, so I was lucky enough to get an additional day with the group and to hear them sing again that night. top
8-10.04 Cobleskill, NY.
Joanne Darcy Crum <jdcrum@hotmail.com>
Hosted by the Cobleskill Vocal Ensemble
When Russicum arrived on the bus we had a nice reunion with Dimitry
who we had met briefly at one of the Albany concerts last fall.
We walked around the block and had lunch at a tiny Cafe.
After getting settled at the house and our neighbor across the street I took Dmitry and Andre out for a ride in the country where we stopped at a maple farm and we saw how they made maple syrup and candy. They had just finished the sugar season and the smells were rich and sweet.
Thursday night we went off to Johnstown, NY (Presbyterian Church, Market Street) about 30 miles north and had a concert with not too many in attendence due to the fact that the school was on vacation and most of the sizable Russian population were attending HOLY WEEK services. But the audience was enthusiastic and we sold several CD's and tapes. Afterward we went to restaurant owned by the host Cobleskill Vocal Ensemble (CVE) member Bill Cranksahw (who is also the high school choral conductor).
Friday was a super busy day, starting at 9 am with a ride to Cooperstown (35 miles) and a tour of Fenimore House Art Museum on Otsego Lake, Lunch at the gracious Otesaga Hotel, Tour of the Glimmerglass Opera House and then on to the Baseball Hall of Fame (What is baseball and why all the fuss anyway?!!) After the touring they rested at the home of CVE members Dr. Bruce and Mona Harris at their lovely farm. The concert on Friday (Christ Church, Episcopal on Fair Street, Cooperstown) was well attended with over 80 people, very generous and thrilled to have the group. They gave the audience great pleasure with their second encore piece of "Shenendoah"! Afterward, we all went to the 1819 House, a lovely historic home with a fantastic basement pub with stone all over. The singers all had Vodka to relax their voices.
Saturday was a day of rest, and they all slept late. No one could be enticed to visit Howe Caverns as they were concerned about the damp and chill of the cave. Natalia was quite thrilled to use the hot tub.
The concert at Zion Lutheran, Main Street, Cobleskill, with about 75 people in attendance was well received and we had a grand party afterwards with many of the audience coming home with us. We partied will the wee hours and then after everyone else left, we all hopped into the hot tub and had a relaxing visit.
Sunday, it was difficult to rouse everyone but we had a nice visit, packed up a big bag lunch and delivered them to Amsterdam to catch the bus to Toronto. Of course, as last year the bus was nearly an hour late.
We had a great visit with Russicum and at each venue there were business cards passed and invitations extended. So we hope to be on the "Tour stop" in the future. We will miss them and wish them Godspeed.top
11-14.04 Toronto, ON.
Cynthia Scott.<Cynlin@interlog.co>
15.04 Sutton West, ON.
Dr. Lawrence Woodley <drlaw@ils.net>
16.04 Bridgenorth, ON.
Gord Drew <bridgenorth@on.aibn.com>
Bridgenorth United Church <http://www.kawartha.com/bridgenorth_church>
Our Russicum friends arrived yesterday in time for a light lunch
which we shared in our Church library. It seemed like old home
week with many recalled experiences and a much more relaxed feeling
on both sides - after all we were old friends meeting again.
Bridgenorth had some very badly needed rain throughout most of yesterday, curtailing outside activity so instead they came to our home for the afternoon, the girls curled up and had a sleep, Nikolay entertained us with his talents on the paino-keyboard, Dmitry used the opportunity to catch up on some of his e-mail correspondence, discovering that there is a new concert planned for Allentown, PA while Andrey and I watched television and discussed the merits of baseball as a national sport as compared to soccer - we both agreed that the internationalizing of hockey had greatly benefitted the game from a skill point of view. At about this time Dmitri found the St Petersburg daily news on the internet with extensive copy in the Russian language, allowing the three fellows to catch up on the news at home. Amazing isn't it!
At 5pm we gathered at the Bridgenorth United Church, meeting their hosts for the night and sharing in dinner together. Fruit is a great favorite with most all of them.
The concert was set for 8pm and many of us were disappointed in the relatively small turnout compared to last year, in spite of extensive advertising and promotion. We had competition from a final concert of the area music festival and another musical event. The 70 people who attended, however, were treated to a wonderfully rich evening of song. Five soloists so perfectly blending their talents sent shivers up and down your back. As I said before, we seemed like old friends gathering together for a relaxed enjoyable evening. After standing applause and an encore, we surprised Andrey by all singing together a Happy Birthday message to celebrate his birthday which was yesterday!.
This morning, hosts and guests reconvened at the church at 9.00am. One of our members is driving them to Toronto, where they will take the train to Windsor for this evening's concert. Another wonderful visit becomes a memory! top
17.04 Windsor, ON.
Chris Robson <Chris_Robson@gecdsb.on.ca>
Sat. April, 17 Don Bell of Bridgenorth kindly drove the singers
to Union Station in Toronto, where they caught the train for Windsor.
They arrived promptly at 4:20PM in the pouring rain (just like
St. Petersburg). It was wonderful to see Dmitry, Natasha and Andrey
again, and to meet "Nick" and Anastasia. They commented
on how the Canadian landscape reminded them so much of home.
We drove them directly to Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church for their 6:00 PM concert. Though Windsor has a small Russian population, people from the Detroit area also attended the concert (total ~ 60 to 70), and were awed by their singing. Father Theodore and friends served a big Russian-style meal after the performance; the singers made friends with some young Russian Canadian couples who took them out to dinner on Sunday and shopping on Tuesday.
Sun. April 18 The singers attended service at Chalmers United Church and sang two pieces to advertise the evening concert. After they went to the Rawlings, one of our host families, for a great dinner perpared by Pete. Later the group practised at Immaculate Conception R.C. Church; thanks to Michelle for openning up for them. Then the singers returned to their host families to rest. (Ask Dmitry if he likes the movie "Hook". Then ask Natasha for her impressions)
Glen Girard of the Ukrainian Cultural Centre gave the singers a tour of their nearly-renovated Cathedreal before the concert, and promised that, should they return, they would sing there. The concert was held in the hall with attendance of 90 to 100 people.
Mon. April 19 Dmitry and Andrey visited two grade 7 classes
to answer questions about life in Russia. Mid-afternoon, Paul
Dueck, picked them up and drove them to his school, the United
Mennonite Educational Institute, in Leamington. After a mini-concert
for the students, Russicum performed to the largest Canadian audience
of 200. Many of the area Mennonites had ancestors who lived in
Russia. Their second encore, "The Little Bell", was
a special request and brought tears to our eyes. Thanks to Tony
Platt for driving the singers home for a much needed sleep.
Tues. April 20 Up early for a return visit to Walkerville Secondary
School's vocal class who remembers the singers from their fall
1998 visit. Russicum now has a fan club. Both groups performed
for each other and had a splendid time. Ann Dresser, the Arts
Coordinator of our local School Board, arranged for the groups
final concert for high school music students. Again, the crowd
was very enthusiatic.
Another great meal was provided by Father Theodore and friends, and then off shopping. Dmitry brought back a Glen Miller CD. Later they met Richard Rawlings at the bank to exchange their Canadian money to US funds; they got the best rate through Rich's borderless account. And finally, Dmitry visited Brian Service's to use his computer to catch up on his e-mail.
Wed. April 21 Up early again. Dick Lang drove the group through customs ("smooth as silk" only checking two passports), and to the Detroit Bus Station. Natasha fell in love with a 18 month old toddler there and had photos taken. By 11:00AM Russicum was on their way to Pittsburgh.
Words of advice:
1. It is to your advantage to choose host families that live close
to each other and/or near the concert venues.
2. Provide hot tea everywhere. Fruit is also a big hit.
3. 9:00AM is too early -- probably impossible. Be prepared to
literally drag them out of bed.
4. Listen to Russicum sing every opportunity that you can, because
this may be a once in a lifetime treat.
22.04 Latrobe, PA.
Fred Opalinski<fsopal@aol.com>
Trinity Lutheran Church
Fred shares this story of the Russicum visit in 1998: We were
delighted to have the choir over a weekend! When they arrived,
a bapitsm shower was in progress, with lots of leftover food,
so the choir "sang for their supper", to the delight
of all. What a foretaste of what was ahead for us. The Saturday
night concert went beautifully, and we had a very enthusiastic
audience of maybe 200 people. The choir sang at worship then next
morning, doing the Russian liturgical pieces for our "Gloria,"
"Sanctus" and "Agnus Dei". I remember kneeling
at the altar rail for the Lamb of God and feeling as though I
had been transported to heaven. It was absolutely gorgeous. Sunday
afternoon, we took the choir to visit a spectacular Benedictine
basilica in town. They gloried in an informal concert with the
basilica's magnificent setting and acoustics. We can't wait to
hear them again!
Fred adds this story about their 1999 visit. The choir had a Thursday night concert with about 250 very enthusiastic people in attendance. The concert was superb, and the audience loved it. The choir had the same host families as they did last Fall, and it was like 'old home week'. We love this group and look forward to their return. Their singing ability, spirituality and warmth are such a gift to all of us. I was in Gettysburg the following week for a seminary class reunion, went to the chapel and discovered that I missed their concert by an hour. I was so upset!! I had no idea they were going to be there. It would have been great (and a surprise) to see them again! top
23.04 Everett, PA.
Elsa Clark <willowiii@yahoo.com>
Zion Lutheran Church http://www.angelfire.com/pa/zionlutheran
Russicum arrived by car from their Latrobe engagement on Friday.
One of the women from our women's group and I took them to a local
restaurant where they attracted a good bit of pleasant attention.
We had been able to arrange for the group to stay together at
a cabin on a member's deer farm. This member took them there to
rest before the concert.
At 5:30 we had a potluck for our friends and at 7:30 our little bit of heaven took place. About 150 people were in attendance, so it was almost a packed house. Anticipating that we might have standing room only our assistant to the bishop (an media nut) had set up equiptment to project the concert to the social hall. Though it turned out to be unnecessary it was appreciated by some of our ladies who needed to stay downstairs to finish preparing the post-concert reception. The music as before was out of this world and much appreciated by everyone. I sat in the back this time and when I closed my eyes really found it difficult to believe that there were not twenty people singing. How DO you describe the indescribable?
After the reception, Russicum was transported to their overnight home. Members were excited by the prospect of seeing deer up close in the morning and they were not disappointed. They also seemed surprized and delighted when they discovered that they would have a whole touring bus to themselves (we had a problem getting a drivers for private transport and one of our members hired the bus) for the trip to their next stop.
We wish our friends well in their final concerts and hope to see and hear them again soon. top
24-27.04 Spring Grove, PA.
Dan Biles <dvbiii@cvn.net>
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Russicum arrived at my church on Saturday afternoon, 24 April.
It was a joyful reunion with Andrey, Natasha, and Dimitri, and
a nice first meeting with the Vinogradev's. Saturday evening was
spent enjoying a large dinner party with their hosts from Spring
and some of the people whom the group met in their the previous
visit, when I was pastor of the Bendersville Parish.
The group sang an anthem and the Lord's Prayer at the morning services at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Spring Grove. Between services members of our church had the chance to dialog with the group and learn about life in a country which for so long was regarded as an enemy. It was a most enlightening discussion. Following a restful afternoon, the group performed a stunningly beautiful concert at the church that evening for 150 guests. Everyone in attendance just marveled at their perfect pitch and marvelous harmonies. The group's visit netted them almost $1200.00, in part because I prevailed on Dimitri to let us take care of collecting the offering. Dimitri wanted his choir members to stand at the doors with plates; I said to him that in America this does not present a good appearance for them, and some people will go out other doors. Rather, I insisted on passing the plates before the audience was dismissed to welcome the choir; that way, every person has to touch the plate. Judging from what was received, this is the far better way to help the group financially. I write this as advice for others.
Monday the group and I and a Russian-speaking member of the community went to breakfast together, then the group moved to my house for an afternoon of rest and watching videos. They really appreciate it when hosts just let them have some time to relax by themselves; so, I just told the group what was in the refrigerator and to be at home, saying, "moy dom -- vash dom" (My house is your house), and went off to golf. That evening the group gave another splendid concert, this time at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Biglerville.
On Tuesday, April 27 the group performed during the noon hour chapel period at the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg, again to rave reviews. As a result of this visit, efforts are in motion to schedule the group as part of the "Music Gettysburg" schedule for the 99-2000 season.
That evening I took Dimitri, Natasha, and Andrey to a movie ("Matrix"; the group loves action movies). On the way back, we stopped at a driving range, since Dimitri had expressed an interest in my hobby of golf. We had some hilarious moments as these three swung a golf club for the first time in their lives. Let's just say that Tiger Woods need not worry about new competition from these three (or me).
That ended our time together -- on this side of the big pond. As I will be going to St. Petersburg, Russia at the end of the month for my yearly teaching time at the Lutheran Seminary in St. Petersburg, I expect to see them all again soon.
28.04 Lykens, PA.
Dan Shutters <dshutters@paonline.com>
The choir was delivered to us Wednesday morning. A buffet lunch
awaited them, and our host families whisked them away to their
homes. At 6 PM they reassembled in a small Orthodox Church in
town for rehearsal as well as for a short video taping. This tape
will be combined with music from other local congregations next
winter in our 7th annual church Christmas Music Festival and played
on our local cable station. Next December, we will remember this
night.
Our local paper, the Harrisburg Patriot, made a mistake in their notice of the choir's coming and said that the choir was from St. Petersburg, FL. We did not take up a free will offering. We had 110 in attendance at the concert, and because of the economic situation of our community decided to raise funds for them in a different way, by gathering sponsors and recognizing them in the program. We were able to raise slightly over $500 (which is much more than a free will offering would have been).
Their stay with us was much too short. Dimitri went over the music selections to make sure that they were not repeating any music they had used on their last trip with us, as if we could not bear to look at the Mona Lisa a second time. And again we were in rapture.
29-30.04 State College, PA.
Bill Cabell.<faithucc@aol.com>
Faith United Church of Christ
The visit of NEVA to Faith United Church of Christ in State College,
PA was as enjoyable as their time with us last October. They were
driven to us on Thursday, April 29th by Dan Shutters from Dauphin,
PA and a parishioner. We warmly welcomed back Dmitry, Natalia,
and Andrey, and took delight in meeting Anastasia and her husband,
Nikolay. The English speaking skills of the three "returnees"
had improved since October.
Following lunch, Thursday was a time for relaxation -- walking around the campus of Penn State University and shops of State College on a beautiful spring afternoon. That evening Faith UCC's Choir hosted a potluck supper for NEVA, and all found both the food and the fellowship to be enjoyable. One choir member, a PSU student, brought along some Russian music his high school choir had sung, and they had some fun singing together. They also helped our choir with the translation and pronunciation for a choral benediction our choir was planning to do in Russian for the Sunday service. The group went to their two host homes following the choir rehearsal. One couple had been hosts in October, and the other host speaks good Russian.
It was obvious to us that the group was feeling significantly fatigued -- far more so than in October -- after weeks of travel, staying in different homes, and almost nightly concerts. They therefore “slept in” at their host homes until almost noon. In the early afternoon they enjoyed a large dinner at my home, and then continued to relax and enjoy basking in the sunshine outside until it was time to go to the church for the concert.
Their concert was every bit as excellent as in October. Unfortunately the audience was only about 60% the size of last fall (the weekend’s activities in State College included three major conerts and 2 drama productions, all of which had Friday night rehearsals, engaging many of the town’s classical music lovers. Also, PSU exams started Monday, so students were either studying frantically or enjoying one last weekend of partying). Despite the diminished size of the audience (about 130 persons), enthusiasm was high and applause unceasing. I might add that I was frank about the economic situation in Russia in my announcement about the free will offering, and it amounted to almost $900.
In attendance was a young couple from Russia whom NEVA had met in October, who live and work in State College (he is an artist). They invited the group to a local pub after the concert, and they spent an enjoyable evening of good comraderie there.
Saturday morning was another “sleep in,” and on Saturday afternoon I had arranged for them to attend the dress rehearsal of the State College Choral Society’s presentation of the Bach Mass in B minor, with a choir of 200, orchestra of 30, and 4 well known soloists. Dinner and evening activities were with host families -- the three with the Russian speaking host went to a movie.
Sunday morning they attended our worship service and sang one
piece, “The Lord’s Prayer,” in a Russian arrangement
with which we were not familiar, but which nevertheless was beautiful.
Following the coffee hour, we crammed all their luggage (and them)
into a van, and headed for Camp Hill, where their next concert
was scheduled that evening at Trinity Lutheran Church. The chief
activity for the two hour ride was sleeping! top
1-9.05 Camp Hill, PA.
Marsia Brown <shardy4041@aol.com>
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
Bill Cabell from Faith United Church of Christ, State College,
drove Russicum to Trinity Lutheran Church in Camp Hill on Sunday,
May 2. They arrived in mid-afternoon. It was wonderful to see
Dimitry, Natalia and Audrey again, as well as to meet Nikolai
and Anastasia.
They were ready to eat, so nine of us, including Bill Cabell,
went to a restaurant for a buffet style meal. They seemed to enjoy
making their own selections. Then back to the church where they
rested before the concert that evening. As before, they stunned
the audience with the beauty and clarity of their performance.
We had 230 in attendance and afterwards we had an ice cream and
strawberry social. The turn out was quite wonderful as the audience
was so delighted with their performance. Then to their host families.
Natalia was thrilled to get to see the television program Nikita
that evening.
Monday we went to the state capitol in Harrisburg for lunch and
then went on a private escorted tour of the capitol. State Senator
Harold Mowery (a member of Trinity Lutheran) met Russicum in his
office and then introduced them on the floor of the State Senate
at their opening session.
Then it was on to Strawberry Square for light refreshments before
they had to leave us. Galina Larson met us there and escorted
them to the bus station which was a short walk, as the hosts had
delivered their luggage. It was a short visit, but an enjoyable
one for us.
Galina Arkhipova-Larson <glarson@ezonline.com>
Joseph E. Aulisi <jaulisi@idt.net>
St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church http://www.st-charlesbor.org
On Saturday morning, May 8th, I drove out to meet the Russicum
Ensemble in Dunmore, Pa. After breakfast, we loaded the car, and
found that their luggage had grown substantially, so it was necessary
that Steven Dougherty drive with us to New York. Thanks again
Steven.
We made it to New York City by 1:30 pm, where the singers were treated to a concert performance of Vincenzo Bellini's 'La Sonnambula' at Carnegie Hall. Everyone was taken with the performance of Ruth Ann Swenson in the lead soprano role. It proved to a be a nice little diversion on their long singing tour.
After the show, we drove to Brooklyn Heights, had some dinner, and prepared for the concert at 8:00 pm. The final American performance of the Russicum Ensemble was glorious. They sang marvelously in our church, filling it with glorious sound. Unfortunately, it rained all day Saturday, and despite all the promotion we had done, very few people showed up. Personally, I had felt bad for such a poor turnout, but Dmitry reassured me, saying that this last concert he viewed a concert for his friends.
On Sunday, it was time to leave for St. Petersburg. We packed up the car, ordered a car service, and got to JFK with plenty of time to spare. I didn't get to spend a great deal of time with the group, but I certainly enjoyed what little time I had with them.
9.05 - NYC, JFK - St.Petersburg, Pulkovo.
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