What Does the Choir Director Expect From the Priest?

Sister Veronica Bondarovich, the former church choir director (further on we will also use “regent” and “conductor”) of the monastery choir "Rejoice" shared her experience of how the interaction between the regent and the priest should be built.

First of all, it may not be redundant to remind the clergy of what the duties of the church choir director consist of.

In reality, a large part of a good regent's work remains unnoticed. It might seem that for good singing, it is enough to correctly perform the hymns while waving hands a little. The duties of the conductor are broader and include:

The choir director is an assistant to the priest, serving as the link between the priest and the parishioners during the worship service. The choir can be compared to a loudspeaker that assists the priest.

Based on her many years of experience as a conductor, Sister Veronica has formulated three main things that a priest should remember and strive for when interacting with the choir:

1) FRIENDSHIP

Any choir director coming to a new parish eagerly anticipates building a friendship with the priest.

❗️ Here, it is the responsibility of the priest to take the first step.

When the choir director has a friendly relationship with the priest, it greatly benefits the choir. It is not necessary for the priest to praise the choir or the regent in front of the whole church, saying something like, "Thank you, you sang so beautifully." Instead, the priest can approach the choir after the service and offer some feedback or words of gratitude.

This communication is not only about the music, but also about the integrity between the priest and the flow of the liturgy, and how it contributes to the overall prayer. Such interaction is crucial because it establishes a more trusting and friendly relationship, which ultimately benefits the choir.

If this is done regularly, the choir and the director will develop warm feelings towards the priest and perceive him as a friend. Such relationships will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the atmosphere within the parish, helping to prepare the parishioners for prayer, and the choristers will joyfully attend every service. At the same time, the priest will not lose his authoritative role as a leader of the community.

Rejoice choir during pilgrimage to Pskov Caves Monastery

2) PARTICIPATION IN CHURCH LIFE

Necessity of introducing the choir to church life and catechesis, if the director is unable to do so. Such communication is very important for the relationship between the priest and the choir. It is best to do this in a non-intrusive manner.

For example, prior to a particular feast day, the priest can write a group message to the choir something like, "…My dear and beloved choristers, I want to bless you and tell you a bit about the saint you will be singing to... Let us sincerely serve and pray, asking this saint to bless our church and all the people who pray, and to remember our names in the Heavenly Kingdom on this day." It's possible that priests may not always have the time for this, but it's just one option.

In general, introducing the choir to church life and catechesis is necessary regardless of the choir's level of expertise, whether they have a spiritual education and are familiar with the liturgical order, or whether the director has only a musical education and lacks knowledge of church life. In all these cases, the priest needs to work with the director and introduce them to church life.

It is very important for the priest to find time for this, even with a busy schedule. The director and the choir are the priest's right hand, they are his colleagues and co-ministers.

If this right hand sings during the service like they are in an opera concert, not truly understanding what is happening behind the liturgy, then mishaps are bound to occur. The choir may end up performing operatic pieces on Good Friday or singing the sticheron of the Crucifixion of Christ in a major and cheerful mode... Of course, the director is responsible for this, but without sufficient familiarity with church life and catechesis, such occurrences may happen.

The choir may merely perform a musical part without fully grasping the meaning of what they are singing. It is important for the priest to creatively find ways to address this and determine how often to do so.

A member of Children choir studying music sheets before the service

3) NO PRESSURE.

Absence of pressure on the choir. The choir and the conductor should not fear the priest or have formal "leader-subordinate" relationships.

It is crucial for a priest to foster an environment where singers feel comfortable and confident in their abilities, rather than instilling fear or anxiety. Singers should not be made to feel apprehensive about potential mistakes, knowing that the priest will become angry afterwards if the choir's performance is not up to par.

As we have already noted, good trusting relationships between the priest and the choir help with prayerful singing. It is important not for a choir of professionals primarily concerned about flawless execution of their parts during singing, but first and foremost for a choir of believers, viewing prayer and assisting the priest through singing as their main objective.

Of course, it does not eliminate the requirement for the choir to sing in tune. However, pressure leads to the choir losing sight of the main reason for why they come to sing. This mostly depends on the priest.

Sister Veronica is getting ready for Transfiguration liturgy at night, 2018

Sister Veronica also shared with us a few short tips that most priests are likely to know. We thought it appropriate to remind of them once more:

1) Inform the conductor the day before the divine service which saint is being commemorated (if there is a choice allowed). It is important not to announce this to the conductor one minute before the start of the divine service, as the choir may have already prepared specific stichera and won't be able to adjust during the course of the service.

2) Discuss in advance if there will be any abbreviations in the singing of stichera, canons, or psalms. This is an important detail, as the regulations of a particular church are determined by the rector based on the circumstances of each community.

3) Clarify with the reader before the start of the divine service which Prokeimenon is to be chanted and which reading from the Apostle is to be read. This is the most common mistake in churches. The reader proclaims the Prokeimenon, and in response, there is …silence. If the conductor is bold, then the correct Prokeimenon is sung in response. Then the reader might think, "What should I do now? I am probably reading a wrong part..."

4) Remind the regent in advance if an additional prayer is being introduced. For example, when the Patriarch allowed an additional prayer during COVID, the choir didn't know what to sing at the end.

5) Discuss in advance the "nuances" of the service and singing during services of intercession, weddings, and memorial services. How does the priest perform the intercessions: does he shorten them and what specifically. What should be sung and what can be read. Does the choir need to be in full attendance for the intercession or is 2-3 singers enough.

6) Find out if there will be a sufficient number of choir members for the festive service or the bishop's service, and if the choir members can attend in full on a weekday. For instance, there is a practice to compose letters addressed to employers, requesting the release of employees for specific church feasts.

7) Talk to the choir about which hymns are appropriate or inappropriate in the particular community, what kind of chant is needed, whether a room for the choir's rehearsals is available, access to a photocopier for printing music notations, and if there are multiple copies of the books (Menaion/Octoechos) or if they need to be printed before the service.

8) What Cherubic Hymn/Anaphora/It is Truly Meet, etc. personally inspires the rector, so that it helps him pray at the altar.