"Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Sing of His Name, give glory to His praise!"

Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit, as a parish of the Orthodox Church in America, is rooted in the 1,000 year worship tradition of Orthodox Russia. One of the most visible (and audible!) signs of this worship tradition is the Russian style of liturgical singing, which adapts ancient chant into four (or more) part choral arrangements.

Orthodox choirs sing a cappella, that is, without any instrumental accompaniment. Even the choir director gets and gives the pitch using a tuning fork. In addition to litanies and hymns from the Russian and Ukrainian traditions, we sing some Romanian, Serbian, Greek, Byzantine, and even Georgian and Arabic hymnography. We also include music by American composers, and are glad to see the spread of some uniquely "American" styles of Orthodox hymns. Except for Pascha, when we sing "Christ is Risen!" in a number of languages, all our hymns are in English, and many members of the parish sing along from the nave. In fact, an Orthodox choir is intended to be an aid to "congregational singing," all of the faithful joining together in the worship of the Holy Trinity.

Our choir sings most all the services, from the weekly Great Vespers on Saturday evenings and Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings, to additional services for the Great Feasts and Saints. Though there are some services plain-chanted by a reader or readers, most weekday services of Daily Vespers, Compline, and the occasional Akathists, are sung by small groups from our choir.

During the first week of Great Lent, Holy Week, and the days leading up to Christmas, the choir will sing the special services every day in addition to the regular weekend services. From the Friday before Palm Sunday through the Monday after Pascha (Easter), we will sing some eighteen or so services over eleven straight days. These joyous efforts in our Orthodox worship bond us together in our shared labors for Christ and the Church.

All age groups are represented in our parish choir, and many young parents sing carrying their infants. The little ones grow up singing the music at home that they hear mommy and daddy singing in the church. We practice if not weekly at least 2-3 times a month, and more often during the special festal periods, so as to prepare for the amazing and beautful variety of hymns throughout the liturgical year. We also sing at weddings, baptisms, and funerals, and occasionally at special events at other Orthodox parishes, such as Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers, or regional choir festivals.

If you are interested in joining the choir, please speak to our choir director, Joseph Kormos, or to Fr Steven.

Enjoy these "classic" videos from prior years . . .