An international conference “Choir Conduction Ministry in the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan: The Path to Mastery” is being held in Almaty

October 19, 2024. Almaty. In the throne hall of the spiritual, cultural, and administrative center of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), an international scientific and practical conference for choir conductors of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan is taking place, titled “Choir Conduction Ministry in the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan: The Path to Mastery.”

The conference is part of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Astana and Almaty Diocese and the 15th anniversary of the canonical status of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan.

The initiator of the musical forum is the choir conductor of the Metropolitan Choir, a member of the Patriarchal Church-Public Council for the Development of Church Singing, Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov.

The event is organized by the Commission on Culture of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan (headed by Honored Cultural Worker L.E. Goricheva) and the Almaty Theological Seminary.

The conference is chaired by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

Present in the presidium are: Deputy Chairman of the Church-Public Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing, Artistic Director of the Moscow Synodal Choir, Honored Artist of Russia A.A. Puzakov; choir conductor of the Moscow Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo, professor of the Choral Conducting Department at the Popov Academy of Choral Arts A.K. Mayorov; Secretary of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov.

The participants of the scientific-practical forum included: Acting Rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary and Head of the Information Department of the Metropolitan District, Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov; choir conductor of the men’s choir of the Almaty Diocese, Hegumen Philip (Moiseev); head of the personal secretariat of the Metropolitan, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov; head of the protocol service of the Metropolitan, Protodeacon Roman Golovin; Honored Cultural Worker and head of the Cultural Department of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, L.E. Goricheva; Candidate of Philosophical Sciences and author of the channel “Thus,” S.T. Kruglikov (Moscow); choir conductors of parish choirs from the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan; clergy of churches in the Southern capital, as well as faculty and students of the seminary’s choir conducting department.

Opening the forum, Metropolitan Alexander addressed the gathering with a welcoming speech: “I warmly welcome all of you—organizers, participants, and guests of the International Scientific-Practical Conference ‘Choir Conduction Ministry in the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan: The Path to Mastery.’ Our conference provides a wonderful opportunity to discuss practical and theoretical issues of church music and performance mastery within the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan. We can delve into the history of Orthodox singing traditions and exchange professional experience. I would like to remind you that the labor of a choir conductor is a service to God and people, a noble vocation that demands deep knowledge, high spiritual responsibility, and constant striving for excellence from the leader of a choir ensemble. I wish you all fruitful work and meaningful fellowship. May God’s blessing be with all of you,” said Metropolitan Alexander in his speech.

At the conclusion of His Eminence’s address, the following presentations were delivered to the attendees:

•  “Current Issues in the Development of Church Singing in the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan” by Honored Cultural Worker of Russia, Choir Conductor of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, O.N. Ovchinnikov;
•  “N.V. Matveev and the Singing Traditions in the Church of the Joy of All Who Sorrow” by Honored Artist of Russia, Conductor of the Synodal Choir, A.A. Puzakov (Moscow);
•  “The Liturgical Significance and Origin of the Cherubic Hymn” by Acting Rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary, Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov;
•  “V.S. Komarov and the Tradition of Church Singing in the Epiphany Cathedral of Moscow” by Conductor of the Epiphany Cathedral Choir in Yelokhovo, A.K. Mayorov (Moscow);
•  “The Modern Practice of Educational Concert-Lectures on the History of Russian Church Singing” by Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, and author of the channel ‘Thus,’ S.T. Kruglikov (Moscow);
•  “The Phenomenon of Russian Church Polyphony” by Choir Conductor of the Men’s Choir of the Almaty Diocese, Hegumen Philip (Moiseev);
•  “The History of Liturgical Music Publishing in Russia, and Issues in Modern Music Publishing” by Conductor of the Intercession Cathedral Choir (Ust-Kamenogorsk), A.V. Korol.

After the presentations, the gathered attendees discussed the proposed topics, followed by a broader discussion on the subjects raised. The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan presented each conference participant with his books “The Soul is the Most Important” and “The History of Christianity in Central Asia,” as well as the 2025 Metropolitan District calendar and a tuning fork as mementos of the event.

At the conclusion of the event, a group photo was taken.

On October 20, the final day of the conference, a Divine Liturgy will be held in the Ascension Cathedral, led by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan. The liturgical hymns will be performed by a combined choir of choir conductors from the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, under the direction of O.N. Ovchinnikov, A.A. Puzakov, and A.K. Mayorov.