That Weekend in Louisville with Benedict and Maria Sheehan

Benedict Sheehan, Choirmaster of St. Tikhon Orthodox Theological Seminary and Monastery in South Canaan, PA, and his wife Maria spent the weekend of January 25-27, 2019 grooming the choir of St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church in Louisville, KY.  

I arrived a little late on Saturday morning and jumped into the vocal fold stretches that Maria Sheehan was leading, coaxing our voices up two octaves and back down on an “oo”. 

The fusion of intense work and reward during the two-day choral workshop was so inspiring that it was hard to let go. The Sheehans and Stephen Jacobs, Director of St. Michael’s Choir, agreed to an interview, which I hope translates some of the wisdom shared that weekend, if not the glory of singing together for 10 hours. – “As soon as you sing a note, it vanishes forever.”

The workshop with the Sheehans was a natural outflow of Stephen Jacobs’ attentiveness to the wider world of Orthodox choral music and his desire to improve his own skills and those of his choir.

Read full interview on Orthodox Arts Journal