A New Symphony Orchestra Founded upon an Orthodox Christian Aesthetic

I once met a gentleman who was a Hollywood “insider.” That is, he knew how things worked in the film industry. I took the opportunity to ask him a question I had pondered for many years.

“There is an obvious trend in the types of movies that people will spend money on. Generally, G-rated family fare, with solid stories that do not insult the intelligence of the parents always do well. Given that, why do we not see more of these types of movies?”

His response?

“Too many directors think they have a better idea about how movies should be made.”

So ego, pride, vanity, however you want to characterize it, prevents us from developing the beautiful, transcendent art that we deserve. This seems to hold true for all media.

Maestro Vladimir Gorbik, choral director of the Moscow Representation Church of the Holy Trinity-St Bergius Lavra, sees this as one of the issue with modern classical music. He has created a new orchestra which will base its performances on traditional interpretations and grounded in the aesthetic of the liturgical forms of the Orthodox Church.

It has been said that all significant forms of art begin at the altar. Maestro Gorbik begins there because it is through the liturgy that we will have our most significant impact on the culture.

Andrew Gould at the Orthodox Arts Journal has an interview with the Maestro which can be read here.

For more specifics about Maestro Gorbik’s new orchestra and his partnerships with the Moscow Conservatory and PaTRAM, see this article by Seraphim Hanisch.

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Pontifex University is an online university offering a Master’s Degree in Sacred Arts. For more information visit the website at www.pontifex.university

Lawrence Klimecki is a deacon for the diocese of Sacramento as well as a working artist, he writes on art and faith at www.DeaconLawrence.org