In an evening that was both festive and intimate, the choirs of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in East Meadow combined with the St. Vladimir Seminary Chorale on Dec. 8 for an evening of traditional Orthodox and Western Christmas classics.
The free concert was jointly directed by Holy Trinity’s Dr. Nicholas Reeves; Matushka Robin Freeman, conductor of the St. Vladimir ensemble and director of music at the seminary; and Danielle MIller, conductor of Holy Trinity’s youth choir. It was organized through the auspices of the church’s rector, the Rev. Martin Kraus; seminary president, the Rev. Chad Hatfield; Ancient Faith Radio’s John Maddox; and Reeves.
Billed as “Nine Carols and Lessons,” musical selections alternated with seasonal readings from the Bible and Christmas carols that the audience could join in singing. The event was streamed live via Ancient Faith, an international Orthodox broadcasting ministry.
It was the first time the choirs had appeared together. “Dr. Nicholas Reeves, our conductor, approached me last year with the idea. I immediately gave him my blessing to see what it would entail,” Kraus said. In addition to his musical duties at the church, Reeves is an experienced impresario, as well as adjunct professor of music at Adelphi University. Reeves, who was formerly on the seminary faculty, went to Hatfield, who reached out to Maddox in turn. The result was an evening of virtuoso choral singing not often heard in churches.
“The idea for this kind of concert goes back to a tradition begun in Cambridge in 1918,” Reeves said. “We wanted to adapt this to an Orthodox setting.” According to Reeves, the practice of congregational involvement helps give such events a more liturgical feeling and less that of a show. And “the scriptures are read by everyone — clergy, readers, laypeople and even children,” he said.