Yandex Metrika
Male Choir of Saint Elisabeth Convent

The Male Choir of St. Elisabeth Convent is an active liturgical choir. Founded in 2001 by the monastic brethren, the Choir has undergone several line-up changes. Today it consists of lay men, most of whom work at the Convent.

The choir takes part in the Lenten Concerts project organized annually in conjunction with the Belarusian State Academy of Music.

In 2019, the choir participated in the Sovereign Voice International Choir Festival (Minsk, Belarus).

The singers have also released their first CD album titled God Is Above All.

The repertoire of the Male Choir is based on ancient two-part chants, such as Znamenny, Valaam, Kievan, Byzantine, etc. In shaping its own sounding, the Choir takes a cue from the authentic chant of the Valaam Transfiguration Monastery, often described as a fusion of Byzantium and the Russian North with its severe nature.

The primary goal of church singing is to facilitate prayer. The Greek researcher of Byzantine church singing Fr Ioannis Fatopoulos notes that church poetry is a separate musical art that serves the purpose of partaking in Church mysteries rather than pleasing the audience. "A church singer can help the listener enter into a prayerful state of mind if he himself is prepared well enough to dwell in prayer. To us it is important by revealing the significance of liturgical texts to use the beauty of church singing as a means of prayer," Eugene Prokofiev, the Choir precentor says.