St. Petersburg’s 9th Annual Music Seminar

Over a hundred participants from different cities and regions of Russia, were received by the “Resurrection” Church, located on the former estate of Count Vorontsov. This historical land remained in complete disrepair, and was seen for many years was a literal garbage dump.

Now local residents and visitors are greeted by a wonderful oasis with a clean lawn, fresh coniferous trees and an elegant bright building in the middle. The miracle of transformation took place thanks to the initiative and efforts of the members of the Baptist community.

This transformed land was ideally suited for the creative and fruitful work of the seminar.

- We know that great spiritual awakenings in different countries were accompanied by an upsurge in singing, - Pastor Alexander Goryanin noted in his welcoming speech. - Many then felt the special action of the Spirit of God to save souls. The outpouring of the Spirit took place not only through the preaching of the Word of God, but also through music and singing. And the churches experienced an extraordinary spiritual renewal.

In his seminar, "Choral Singing and the Soul of Russia", Vladimir Popov, a teacher at the Institute of Sacred Music, used historical facts to show how choral church singing shaped the soul and national characteristics of the inhabitants of Russia, how choral art was created and developed in the communities of the Doukhobors, Molokans, and Baptists. The Baptists, as the most mature in spiritual and educational terms, managed to organically include part of the heritage of Orthodoxy and the experience of their predecessors in their worship services

I recall the words of Ivan Prokhanov's living grand-nephew, also a famous writer and public figure Alexander Prokhanov, who gave a fairly accurate assessment of his uncle's main work: "Ivan Stepanovich, as a spiritual leader, was able to Russify and socialize the evangelical movement." That is, Prokhanov tied the evangelical movement to Russian culture and helped turn the churches to enrich society with the gospel.

As an illustration of the seminars, choral works were performed by the combined choirs of Poklonnaya Hill Church under the direction of Olga Butova and Evgeny Goryanin.

Kirill Dyga introduced the work of the oldest Baptist composer Dmitry Voevoda to the seminar participants, and Ivan Vishnyakov spoke about the poems of Yakov Buzinny, which were included in choral and general singing.

The practical part of the seminar consisted of master classes, special discussions and thematic round tables.

The head of the UECB Music Department and the Director of the Institute of Sacred Music, Kirill Goncharenko, held a master class on warm-ups and proper breathing for a singer. He also presented his practical approaches to spiritual pedagogy regarding working with teenagers and attracting them to the church. "Learning should be fun, teenagers like to do things that interest and captivate them. And there are many such things in the church," said Goncharenko. "And, of course, parents should not forget to send their children to music schools." Kirill reminded choir singers and musicians of the need to expand their ears and find time and opportunities to listen to outstanding performers at different venues, to take care of the formation of good taste.

Thanks to the diligent preparation by the event organizer, Victoria Yatsenko and her assistants, much was done and achieved in a short amount of time at the seminar. And the cordiality and hospitality of the organizers, according to the participants, was top notch.

Pastor Alexander Goryanin, a versatile man with a rich biography and a calling as an artist-restorer, called music ministers "singing architects" called by God to spiritually build, create the church and enlighten society. After all, it has long been considered that the choir is the calling card and missionary core of the church.

Vladimir Popov