The Valaam Ensemble: Charity Concert of Russian Church music
On Thursday 1st November the Valaam Ensemble from Russia will give a concert of Russian church music at St George’s Cathedral near Regent’s Park.
It takes dedication to bring Russia’s spiritual heritage back to life. The Valaam Ensemble are taking part in that process. They are a small group of five male singers who are helping to re-discover the ancient music of the Russian Orthodox Church. They are passionate about researching, preserving and performing the rich, ancient music of the Russian north, and have performed this music to great acclaim in Russia as well as on tour in Europe and the US. Their repertoire also includes music from across Russia, both sacred and secular.
Founded in 1993 by singers trained at the Glinka Choral School, St Petersburg, and the St Petersburg Conservatoire, they perform at the Valaam Monastery during the summer. Members of the Ensemble are not monks, but they are dedicated to represent the Monastery in front of the pilgrims, tourists as well as honoured guests such as Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexiy II and President of Russia Vladimir Putin when they visit the island.
The Ensemble already have a following in London having performed here in recent years. They return to the city on 1st November to give a concert in aid of St Gregory’s Foundation and that charity’s work in Russia and the former Soviet Union. Their programme will include both ancient monastic chants and Russian polyphonic pieces of the 17th-18th century.
The concert on 1st November is in aid of St Gregory’s Foundation. This charity was founded in 1991 by Russians living in London and British well-wishers. Mostly active in NW Russia, the aim of the charity is to help children, the disabled and poor using the talents and commitment of local people. Since the charity was founded they have helped to introduce the profession of physiotherapy to Russia, published a course to teach children in orphanages how to cope with independent adult life, and have supported a wide range of organizations who care for poor children, elderly people and the sick and disabled. This work extends into Karelia, in areas where no other foreign charities operate, and where the needs are very great. In Karelia, the charity works in partnership with several Orthodox parishes who are totally committed to helping the local children and poor whether or not they are Christians. The charity regularly visits the work to check that the donations are benefiting those most in need.
