On Saturday, July 25, 2026, the Metropolitan Laurus Synodal School of Liturgical Music completed its 35th year, with a Moleben of Thanksgiving at the main church of the Holy Dormition Convent (Novo Diveevo) in Nanuet, NY. In the absence of the school’s Founding Director, the Very Reverend Father Andre Papkov, the Moleben was served by Father Artemy Siss and sung by a choir of students and faculty conducted by Peter Fekula, in the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas. The final Te Deum was sung antiphonally, with the additional direction of choral methods instructor Anastasia Kappanadze.
This year the school graduated four students: Brendan Allatta, Alexander Covell, Anton Moroz, and Tatiana Williams were awarded certificates as Conductors/Precentors.
During the last two weeks of July, students from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Poland followed a rigorous program of study that included classes in music theory, sight-singing, Church Slavonic, history of Russian liturgical music, Typicon, liturgical performance practice, voice, and conducting, as well as two daily choir rehearsals. Second- and third-year students prepared, sang, and conducted services at the Novo Diveevo church of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the convent’s small Dormition “house church,” and the Holy Virgin Protection church in Nyack, NY.
Highlights of this year’s session included a Hierarchical Service on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Theotokos served by +Metropolitan Nicholas and Bishop Theodosius of Manhattan, the annual informal concert in memory of Irina Mozyleva, who led the voice class at the School for many years, and a keynote lecture by the dean of Holy Trinity Seminary, Dr. Nicolas Schidlovsky. This year in particular the concert and other daily events at the school were dedicated to the celebrating the 35th anniversary of the school’s founding.
As in previous years, the school benefited from the generous support of the Fund for Assistance to the ROCOR, the Russian Nobility Association, the Russian Ball of Washington, DC, and private individuals.
