NEW YORK: October 24, 2012
The Divine Liturgy of Mikhail Konstantinov, Renowned Composer of the Russian Diaspora, Will be Performed at the Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign”

This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Mikhail Sergeevich Konstantinov (+June 11, 1982). Mikhail Sergeevich was conductor of the Holy Virgin Cathedral Choir in San Francisco until the late 1970’s. He grew up in Kiev, and studied at the Kiev Conservatory and the Lysenko Institute. During World War II, Konstantinov was evacuated to Europe, where he directed choirs and became the first soloist in the famous Black Sea Cossack Choir. In 1951, Konstantinov came to San Francisco, where he started singing in, and later conducting the Holy Virgin Cathedral Choir. During his tenure, Konstantinov educated an entire generation of church singers and instilled in them a devotion to and love for their craft. Over the years, he also composed a great deal of sacred music, whose prayerfulness, originality, and lush sonorities have earned him universal respect as one of the greatest composers of the Russian Emigration.

On Sunday, October 28, 2012, the Synodal Choir will sing Konstantinov’s Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” in New York. Also participating in the choir will be other singers from the parishes of greater New York.