Montclair State University

The University Singers, under the direction of Heather J. Buchanan, performing at the famed Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

As part of Montclair State University’s centennial celebration, the John J. Cali School of Music’s University Singers recently traveled to Russia to perform with the Moscow Conservatory Chamber Choir and to represent the United States at the St. Petersburg Imperial Garden Festival of Music in St. Petersburg, Russia.  

A highlight of the tour was the joint concert with the Moscow Conservatory Chamber Choir at the famed Rachmaninoff Hall in Moscow. Under the baton of Boris Tevlin, the Chamber Choir’s conductor, the combined ensembles performed works that included “Bogoroditse Devo, raduysia," by Rachmaninoff, and two African American spirituals.

The University Singers pose in front of the statue of Tchaikovsky at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

The joint concert came about because of the established relationship between the Moscow Conservatory Chamber Choir and Montclair State’s Global Education Center. As part of this partnership, the Moscow Conservatory Chamber Choir will visit and perform in New Jersey with the University Singers in the fall of 2008.

Comprised of 47 students under the direction of Heather J. Buchanan, director of choral activities, the University Singers also represented the United States at the St. Petersburg Imperial Garden Festival of Music at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. They performed to an appreciative audience of choral music enthusiasts and dignitaries.  Choirs from 15 other nations sang at the Festival as well.

Another venue for the University Singers was Tsarskoe Selo, one of the palaces of the Russian Imperial Estate, where they performed before returning to the United States.

Read the press release about the University Singers in Russia here.

Article Entered Into News System: Wednesday, June 18 2008
Article Last Edited: Tuesday, June 24 2008