A new Byzantine chant school for children, young people and adults will open in Iași in September as part of a project run by the Archdiocese of Iași.
Registration for the first intake of students will take place from 1 to 23 September, and participation is free.
The “Saint Macarius Protopsaltes” Metropolitan School of Byzantine Chant aims to train participants in Byzantine chant while bringing them closer to the Church’s liturgical life.
Courses will be organised for three age groups: 7–14, 15–20 and over 20. Classes will take place three times a week in the “Iustin Moisescu” Hall at the Metropolitan Complex in Iași.
The programme will not be limited to classroom instruction. Participants will also be able to take part in church services, concerts, camps and meetings with chanters from Romania and abroad, as well as cultural and missionary activities.
Byzantine chant and liturgical life
Deacon Matei Teodor Doroșincă, coordinator of the “Saint Macarius Protopsaltes” School, explained that the project seeks to provide more than simply musical instruction.
“The school aims not only to provide musical training, but also to create an environment in which people can draw closer to the Church, discover the beauty of Byzantine chant and be able to serve through their voices,” the deacon told Doxologia.
During the first year, students will study the fundamentals of Byzantine chant, including notation, musical signs, the modes, solfege (parallagi), the Anastasimatarion and basic elements of liturgical order. In subsequent years, the training will focus on developing knowledge of the liturgical repertoire and choral practice.
“We welcome everyone who feels a love for the Church’s chant and wishes either to discover it or to deepen their knowledge of it. Whether we are speaking about a child, a young person or an adult, it is never too early or too late to learn Byzantine chant,” Deacon Matei Teodor Doroșincă added.
The first meeting with students is scheduled for 2 October, when the school’s curriculum will be presented and the first steps of the new academic year will be taken. Further information is available on the school’s official website.
Photo: Doxologia
