Music Ministry
Our Music Ministry serves the parish by chanting at all church services. Our Director of Music Ministry and Protopsaltis (chief cantor), Samuel Herron, directs the Right Choir, selecting the texts and repertoire used in the services, and our Lampadarissa (secondary cantor), Konstantina Marinakos, leads the Left Choir.
The music used for worship is ecclesiastical Byzantine chant, aspiring to emulate the traditional forms found in Greece, Mt. Athos, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Ecclesiastical Byzantine chant is entirely vocal. At the principal services, our Right and Left Choirs sing antiphonally. Services are conducted primarily in English, with some selections in Ecclesiastical Greek, Slavonic, and Arabic.
The Choirs
Choir participants commit themselves to learning the hymns of the Church and understanding the sacred order of liturgical worship. On a typical Sunday, two choirs—made up of men, women, and children—sing antiphonally from the Solea. The skills needed to participate in these choirs include the willingness to learn Byzantine notation, to sing in tune, and to read English.
Those interested in learning more, or joining the choir (whether adults or children) may contact our Director of Music Ministry directly at protopsaltis@stnektarios.org.