Russian Patriarchate Choir
The Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow was founded by Anatoly Grindenko in Trotse-Sergieva Lavra (near Moscow) in 1983. In the traditional manner, it consists of 12-13 members, including Grindenko. As well as performing both in Russia (where it is an actual church choir) and internationally, the singers are dedicated scholars of the repertoire for male voices who led the way in the re-discovery of Orthodox church music in the late years of the Soviet Regime. At this time - when this music was far from approved by the government - the choir spent years decoding ancient manuscripts and giving the firstperformances of works that had lain in obscurity for centuries. With the collapse of the Soviet Union came the opportunity for them to perform internationally and bring this music to a wide public. Through their live performances and many recordings they have reached a huge world-wide audience , attracted first and formost by the sheer beauty of their singing. They have appeared throught Europe and Scandinavia, at Festivals in Utrecht, London, Maastricht, Barcelona, Ravenna, and at Les Folles Journées in Nancy.