PSALM Sponsors its First Pan-Orthodox Conference on Liturgical Music

170 Musicians and Clergy gather from 21 states and 6 countries to "Sing Praises with Understanding" at PSALM National Conference

Download the Conference Program Booklet (pdf), with a detailed schedule, participant list, donor list, speaker bios, and vendor contact info.

CICERO, IL—PSALM, a national, pan-Orthodox organization which promotes networking, education, and sharing of resources among Orthodox Church musicians, attracted 170 participants to its first national conference. Hosted by the members of St. George Antiochian parish in Cicero, IL (Rev. Nicholas Dahdal, pastor), the conference took place August 2–5, 2006.

Participants came from 21 different states, as well as from Canada, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Japan. In addition to choir directors, chanters, and readers, the list of registrants included His Eminence Archbishop Job (OCA), 20 clergy, and 4 monastics representing 12 different jurisdictions/archdioceses.

The decision to hold the conference sessions at St. George Church in Cicero, rather than at a hotel, presented some logistical challenges. However, the presence throughout the conference of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which wept for four years back in the 1990s, seemed to have its impact upon the attendees and the proceedings. Participants were awed and inspired by the remarkable beauty of the church, with its wood-carved iconostasis and frescoed walls. Most felt it was worth the six-mile bus ride to the church each day to be in a sacred space while discussing our sacred music.

The conference was PSALM's first attempt to gather clergy and musicians from as many jurisdictions as possible in the United States and Canada. Speakers and panelists included some of the most respected Orthodox musicians in the English-speaking world today, both clergy and laity. Among them were V. Rev. Thomas Hopko, Archimandrite Efrem Lash, Tikey Zes, Mark Bailey, V. Rev. Sergei Glagolev, V. Rev. John Finley, Rev. Andrei Papkov, Vicki Pappas, Chris Holwey, David Drillock, Nikola Resanovic, Nicholas Schidlovsky, and Jessica Suchy-Pilalis, to name a few.

Anchored by the theme "Sing Praises with Understanding," the presentations and panel discussions focused on various aspects of "understanding" that are necessary in an effective music ministry, from the communication between musicians and clergy, to understanding the form and function of the services, to understanding how the word is most appropriately wed to the musical tone.

Some of the participants commented that it was "a bit like going back to college," as the schedule was packed with opportunities to learn and included very little social time, other than meals. In spite of that, new relationships were formed and old ones were renewed, particularly in late-night gatherings at the hotel!

An ensemble of 140-plus participants made up the Conference Choir that sang for Friday evening Vespers and Saturday morning Liturgy, under the direction of Mark Bailey. Both services included a combination of musical styles, traditions, and textures, including various forms of antiphonal singing. The services were not only the perfect spiritual culmination of the conference, but also demonstrated many of the points made by the speakers, particularly on the necessity of choosing musical settings that encourage liturgical dialogue and facilitate prayerful, engaging, and enlivened worship.

On Thursday evening, August 3, the conference participants attended a concert performed by the St. Romanos Cappella under the direction of Dr. Peter Jermihov. The concert featured music by living Orthodox composers, many of whom were in the audience. At the conclusion of the concert, PSALM offered a tribute to its honorary chairman, the Very Rev. Sergei Glagolev, a renowned, beloved, and prolific composer of Orthodox liturgical music. PSALM board member David Drillock spoke of Fr. Sergei's significant contribution to the growth of Orthodox liturgical music in the English language, and PSALM President Valerie Yova presented Fr. Sergei with an icon of Orthodox hymnographers as the St. Romanos Cappella led the audience in a resounding "God Grant You Many Years."

While other attempts have been made in the past to bring together Orthodox Church musicians from all jurisdictions, this may be the first event that included such wide representation and such an impressive collection of experts from all traditions. The conference "community" was a unique collection of clergy, lay people, monastics, scholars, novices, and everything in between. There was a spirit of love, nurturing, and cooperation not often observed at such gatherings.

In the liturgy on Saturday morning, Fr. John Finley (Antiochian Archdiocese Dept. of Missions) admonished participants to prepare for the struggles they would face after coming down off their "mountaintop experience." In the spirit of the Feast of the Transfiguration, which would be celebrated the next day, Fr. John exclaimed,"It is good to be here!" He then encouraged participants to gather strength from Christ and each other to go back to their parishes and approach the inevitable struggles of their ministry with love and humility.

There was unanimous agreement among participants that such a conference should take place at least every other year. It will be the task of PSALM's board of directors to consider this request and seek out a host parish for the next national conference. Regardless of what the future holds, it seems clear that this first event in Cicero will have a lasting impact on the development of PSALM and its members and will hold a special place in the hearts of all who were present.

(All conference lectures and panel discussions were videotaped and will be available for purchase by January 2007. Watch the PSALM website for conference photos, the detailed schedule and list of participants, and information on how to order copies of the taped sessions: www.orthodoxpsalm.org.)

Comments from the participants:

"The conference greatly exceeded my expectations! (It was) very well organized, excellent speakers, good balance of topics."

"This is the type of thing we need to be doing to support the growth of the Church in a positive direction."

"This conference was amazingly close to perfect."

"It's nice to find that we all have so much in common, including our own little problems."

"This conference needed to meet the needs of several musical areas and these few days went by far too quickly. Incredible variety."

"This experience was well beyond anything I had ever imagined. The speakers were informative and the music was unbelievable!"

"The opportunity to meet with well-known experts and other experienced people has shown many of my preconceptions to be false or inaccurate."