Sing to the Lord a New Song

St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara, California, has traveled a long and colorful road from Evangelical Protestantism to the Orthodox Christian Faith, being received into Orthodoxy in 1987, along with a number of other “Evangelical Orthodox” parishes. At every step of the way, it has recognized the importance of liturgical singing and has cultivated a tradition of excellence in that realm, originally under the guidance of composer and missionary priest, Father John Finley, and since 2010, under the current Music Director, Valerie Yova. This CD presents a 30-year retrospective of the parish’s musical traditions, including works by traditional “Old World" Orthodox composers and works by living “New World” composers, some of whom are members of the parish. The tuneful and harmonious singing on this CD and the richness and variety of traditions represented exemplify the vibrant musical life that can be achieved within a parish that takes liturgical singing seriously and, in the words of the liner notes, “has always paved the way with regard to exploring home-grown American expressions of the liturgical arts.” Not only will the music on this CD provide many hours of enjoyable listening (along with a few bonus “comic relief” tracks), it will also serve as an inspirational example to other parishes in North America as they develop and project the light and beauty of the Orthodox Faith to the society around them.—V. M.