PaTRAM Institute Male Choir

The PaTRAM Institute Male Choir is one of several ensembles associated with the Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Musical Institute. With a 2018 Grammy award nomination and other awards, the group has gained attention far beyond Russian Orthodox musical circles. The PaTRAM Institute is named for the Patriarch Tikhon (1865-1925), an Orthodox leader and missionary who spent considerable time in the U.S., at first as Bishop of the Aleutian Islands. The choir is a professional group, with membership by audition, that has the stated mission of performing Orthodox Christian sacred music. There is also a mixed-gender choir. The Male Choir's repertory is devoted principally to the sacred music of major Russian composers, including Rachmaninov, Pavel Chesnokov, Alexander Kastalsky, and Dimitry Bortnyansky, but the group also performs music from other Orthodox traditions and has stressed the performance of new compositions and arrangements by Orthodox composers in the U.S. In the words of the group's website, "the Patriarch Tikhon Choir seeks to present Orthodox sacred music in its highest possible form, striving to unite heartfelt spirituality, a deep love for the traditions of Orthodox Christian singing, and an uncompromising standard of musical professionalism." The choir's founder was the Moscow-trained director Vladimir Gorbik, and the group includes singers of both Russian and North American origin. The PaTRAM Institute also includes a range of musical instruction including courses in choir directing. In 2018 the PaTRAM Institute Male Choir released Teach Me Thy Statutes, an album of music by Chesnokov, recorded at the Church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian at the Saratov Orthodox Theological Seminary in Russia. Released by the audiophile U.S. label Reference Recordings, the album was named the 2018 Recording of the Year by the MusicWeb International website and garnered a Grammy award nomination for Best Choral Performance. The album's producer, Blanton Alspaugh, also earned a nomination for Producer of the Year.
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