« The Choir of the Dormition Cathedral in London took part in the Patriarchal International Festival of Sacred Music "Light of Christ" »

With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, the choir of the Dormition Cathedral in London, Diocese of Sourozh, Great Britain, took part in the II Patriarchal International Festival of Sacred Music "The Light of Christ" among the choirs of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is held with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia from February 1 to December 31, 2022.

In 2022, the festival is dedicated to the 600th anniversary of obtaining the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh.  The first stage (participation by correspondence) is presentation of video recordings of Divine Services broadcast from the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church with the participation of choirs.

The modern history of the choir of the Dormition Cathedral in London dates back to the mid-60s of the twentieth century, when archpriest Mikhail Fortunato became the choir master.  The 40-years work of Father Michael as choir master left a rich legacy, expressed in a wide repertoire, unique translations of liturgical texts into English, and special attention to the primacy of the words meaning over the musical component.  Even today, from time to time, the choir sings from notes recorded by Fr. Mikhail in the second half of the 20th century, sings stichera and irmos according to his markings, with a melody that is quite different from modern sounding.

The choir includes church singing lovers, and some of the singers have been singing regularly on the kliros for more than a decade.  Prior to the strict quarantine measures associated with the coronavirus pandemic and adopted in the UK in the spring of 2020, the choir staff consisted of about 30 people, however, such a number of singers participated in worship services exclusively on Sundays and major church feasts.

After nine months of monophonic singing, which has become the only possible option for celebrating divine services during the pandemic, since Christmas 2021, polyphony has been heard again at services, the choir is gradually being restored in its numbers.  At divine services, the choir sings in two languages - Church Slavonic and English, each of which has a certain balance in the services.  Chants in one language are followed by reading or singing in another, helping both Russian-speaking and English-speaking parishioners to pray together.

Choir master D.E. Tugarinov