Coming January 2014 - Arctic Light: Finnish Orthodox Music

Arctic Light: Finnish Orthodox Music

Guest Director Rev. Dr. Ivan Moody

This sumptuous program of choral works from the Orthodox Church of Finland was first performed to sold-out audiences in 2007, directed by one of the world’s foremost experts in the repertoire, Rev. Dr. Ivan Moody: composer, Orthodox priest, and professor of Orthodox Church Music at the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu.

While Orthodoxy was the earliest form of Christianity to reach Finland, its music was initially drawn from the rich Slavic tradition, subsequently adapted into the Finnish language.

In the 20th century original works began to be composed in Finnish that drew upon the Finnish choral tradition, marrying the shining Northern clarity of sound with a sonic richness clearly related to the traditions of Russian choral singing.