The Russian Choir

Singers in the Russian Choir come from various backgrounds, and from around the world - Ukraine, Siberia, Bulgaria, Scotland, England, Ireland, and for a while, U.S.A. Some singers have come to join from various choral groups in Scotland such as the R.S.N.O. Chorus, Edinburgh Festival Chorus and Ayr Choral Union. Others have come as a result of an interest in singing or in Russian. Several singers speak Russian, but the rest don’t! All rehearsals are conducted in English.

The liturgical texts that the choir sings are mainly in Slavonic (old Russian). This does not cause a huge problem, as the same word settings keep reappearing to different music, just as occurs in much sacred music the world over. You soon learn how the words go!

The folk songs that have been added to the repertoire are much more fun for the non-Russian speakers, as they all have lots of verses and lots of different words! The audience can always recognize the native Russian speakers when they sing the folksongs! Wonder why?