Slava Choir marks Orthodox Easter at Saint-benoît du Lac

This Saturday, February 24 at 2 pm, the Slava Chamber Choir will present a free concert at the Saintbenoît-du-lac Abbey.

Easter is the major festival of the Orthodox calendar. Borrowing from the most representative musical repertoire of this period, the program of this concert illustrates the many colours of the Slavic Orthodox vocal tradition: the voices of monks and nuns, as well as grand mixed cathedral choirs. Some works, such as the chants from Ukraine, date back to the Middle Ages; others span the 20th century, with composers such as Bortnianski, Makarov, Turenkov, Nikolskiy. Four excerpts from Sergei Rachmaninov's opus 31 will punctuate the entire program with their almost symphonic hues.

Founded in 2004 by Maria Ignatow Bandrauk, the Slava Chamber Choir is made up of accomplished singers, many of whom are students and graduates in singing from Sherbrooke, Bishop's, Laval, and Mcgill universities. The choir is directed by Eun Jung Park, a holder of three master’s degrees in composition, choir conducting, and piano accompaniment. She is an accompanist at the Université de Sherbrooke School of Music.

The Slava Choir has performed in the Eastern Townships, Ottawa and Quebec City. Since 2013, it has also presented a concert tour of the mixed program - sacred and secular - for the benefit of the Avenir Mégantic Fund.