Professional Choir “St. Seraphim of Sarov”, Serbia

Choir “St. Seraphim of Sarov”

The mixed choir “St. Seraphim of Sarov” was founded in Zrenjanin in 1995 at the initiative of Dushan Slankamenac. At the time, the 20 members of the choir were led by its first conductor prof. Kamelija Ciric, but soon the male singers separated from the group and formed the male octet St. Seraphim of Sarov. The octet, with the blessing of Bishop Hrizostom, started participating more actively in church service and was assigned the monastery of St. Melania as its home temple.  Owing to regular rehearsals and the commitment and devotion of Professor Vladimir Prvulović, who was the conductor at the time, the octet’s repertoire rapidly grew in size and versatility.

As the ensemble developed and advanced, the need for the occasional replacement of temple surroundings for the concert podium arose. Consequently, the octet started putting on solemn concerts dedicated to their patron saint, Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, twice a year – on the date of his passing (January 15) and his canonization (August 1).

The choir gradually grew, advanced, and extended its scope of work. Apart from taking part in weekly church service and festive religious ceremonies not only in Zrenjanin but also in the nearby churches  as well as in most Serbian cities. At the International choir festival the Voice of Belgrade, the choir has received a number of awards.

The ensemble soon embarked on an internationl careeer singin in temples belonging to the Serbian Orthodox Church in Stuttgart, London, Derby, Copenhagen, Malmö, Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Budapest, Vienna, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck, Zurich, Salzburg, Graz, Timisoara, Dubrovnik, Trebinje, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, Moscow etc. making a strong impression on the members of the Serbian diaspora as well as the general public.

Today the choir “St. Seraphim of Sarov” is made by seven professional choir singers that bring their many years of experience, ideas and respect for the history of the ensemble’s founders together in creating versatile programmes that are a blend of genres and styles- ranging from solemn music to traditional and popular music composed for the most beautiful of instruments- the human voice.