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NYC Premiere of St. Matthew Passion, February 7

YONKERS, NY [SVOTS] -- Tickets to the English-language US premier of the St. Matthew Passion -- a concert of sacred music by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion [Alfeyev], renowned Russian Orthodox composer and churchman -- are on sale on the web site of St. Vladimir's Seminary HERE.

The performance will be held at the Church of Saint Paul the Apostle, 405 West 59th Street, New York, NY at 7:30 p.m. on February 7, 2011. Proceeds from ticket sales will be used to benefit the seminary.

Performers include the Salomé Chamber Orchestra; famed soloists soprano Mary Mackenzie, mezzo-soprano Ana Mihanovic, tenor Blake Friedman, and bass Aaron Theno; and the New York Virtuoso Singers prepared by Harold Rosenbaum. The principal baritone part of the "Evangelist" will be sung by Protodeacon Vadim Gan. As a prelude to the season of Great Lent, the composition will convey the Gospel account -- using scriptural texts interspersed with texts of the liturgical services of the Orthodox Church that are normally sung during Holy Week --in the forms of music recitative, choruses, fugues, and arias. Additional details may be found on the OCA web site.

The composer, Metropolitan Hilarion, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department of External Church Relations and a member of the seminary’s Board of Trustees, will be present at the premiere.

Further information may be obtained by contacting events@svots.edu or 914-961-8313 X323.