Second Christmas Festival of Religious Music to be held in Moscow

From January 8 to 22, 2012, the Second Christmas Festival of Religious Music will be held at the Moscow International House of Music with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Performing at the Festival will be choirs from Greece, France, the USA, and Russia. The program of the Festival includes Russian choral classics and Old Believers’ hymns, Gregorian chants and modern compositions, American spirituals and gospels.

The unique musical forum, timed to the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, is one of the most important steps on the way to introducing the listeners to the centuries-old traditions of Christian musical culture.

Vladimir Spivakov, president of the Moscow International House of Music, a member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, act as artistic directors of the Festival.