2026 Summer Music Institute

June 23–27, 2026
Pre-Institute: June 22–23, 2026

 

Planting Orthodox Church Music in North America

St. Vladimir’s Seminary announces the 2026 Summer Music Institute: Planting Orthodox Church Music in North America, to be held from June 23–27. This year’s Institute will celebrate and explore the planting, cultivation, and flourishing of Orthodox music in North America. Musicians like Boris Ledkovsky, Michael Gelsinger, Tikey Zes, Michael Hilko, and others laid the groundwork for how the Liturgy could be sung in English, and their legacy endures to this day. 

Join us, and: 

  • Explore how the work of early English-language Orthodox composers impacts our musical and liturgical life;
  • Sharpen your musical and analytical skills in focused seminars;
  • Hear from and engage with our keynote speakers—acclaimed musicians and scholars who have deeply studied the diverse traditions of Orthodox music;
  • Improve your musicianship, ear training, and vocal technique through group and individual coaching sessions.

We are also excited to offer a two-day Pre-Institute Intensive (June 22–23), as a concentrated immersion into conducting liturgical music. These two days are a chance to receive one-on-one and small group coaching with Juliana Woodill and other acclaimed faculty.

The full Summer Music Institute will begin in the evening of Tuesday, June 23, and conclude on Saturday, June 27. Participants may choose from three focused tracks—conducting, vocal technique, and advanced studies in the history of liturgical music. 

The Summer Music Institute at St. Vladimir’s Seminary continues its tradition of offering immersion into the Church’s liturgical life and tradition, opportunities to build skills, and warm fellowship among people who love Church music.

Registration Information Coming Soon

Conducting, with Juliana Woodill

The Pre-Institute Intensive is a special opportunity to enjoy an immersive 10 hours of instruction in small groups and one-on-one settings, beginning in the morning of Monday, June 22, and concluding in the evening of Tuesday, June 23. The Pre-Institute Intensive will be limited to a small number of students in order to maximize personal feedback. Register early for this popular option, as it fills up quickly.

Pre-institute Intensive (Monday–Tuesday, one night): 

  • Tuition: $600
  • Double-occupancy room: $50
  • Single-occupancy room: $87.50
  • Sunday arrival (extra night): $87.50

The Institute will formally begin on the evening of Tuesday, June 23, with a shared dinner followed by a keynote lecture to set the vision for the entire week. When completing your online registration, you will select one of three specialized tracks—Vocal Technique, Conducting, or Advanced Studies in the History of Liturgical Music—allowing you to focus your time on the area most relevant to your interests and experience. In addition to your chosen track, all participants will take part in a musicianship course, offered at multiple levels so that you can work comfortably and confidently at your own pace.

Each of the first three evenings will feature a keynote address by a luminary in the North American Orthodox music scene, inviting us to reflect substantively on the broader themes of the Institute. On the final evening, we will gather for a concluding session following Great Vespers to integrate what we have learned and to look toward future growth. 

Each morning will begin with Matins or Liturgy, breakfast, and a full-group vocal warm-up, preparing participants spiritually, physically, and mentally for the work ahead. Throughout the day, the schedule will be filled with focused sessions in each track, musicianship classes, ensemble rehearsals, opportunities for individual coaching, and participation in the liturgical services that anchor the Institute’s rhythm.

Summer Music Institute (Tuesday eve through Saturday—4 nights):

Tuition:

  • Tuition: $850
  • Early bird Tuition (until February 15): $700 
  • Current St. Vladimir’s Seminary, St. Tikhon’s Seminary, or Holy Cross seminarian or spouse tuition: $425 (no housing discount)
  • Online auditor: See below

Lodging:

  • Double-occupancy room: $200
  • Single-occupancy room: $350
  • Sunday departure (extra night, no meals): $87.50

Virtual auditors will be able to attend keynote lectures, conducting-track sessions, rehearsals, and one level of musicianship classes. The chapel services will also be live-streamed. 

Summer Music Institute (Tuesday eve through Saturday):

  • Online auditor: $200

New for this year, we are offering an advanced seminar on the history of Orthodox liturgical music. In this inaugural year, Drs. Alexander Lingas and Vladimir Morosan will explore the work of pioneering composers from the middle of the twentieth century active in North America and other English-speaking countries. Starting with the European and Middle Eastern roots of our traditions of Orthodox liturgical singing, they will trace their subsequent development and cross-fertilization in American and global contexts. This seminar is ideal for those interested in understanding how our sung worship embodies liturgical theologies and understandings of fidelity to Orthodox tradition.

Musicianship Training

Various Institute Faculty

As a complement to our exploration of American Orthodox music, this year the Institute will offer a series of daily musicianship classes to help participants hone their sight singing, ear training, and music theory skills. Instructors will use techniques and tools that participants will find helpful whether they are church singers or choir directors. Participants will self-select their preference for Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced Level Musicianship Classes.
 

Conducting Training

Juliana Woodill

Taught in an interactive manner, the conducting track will expose students to the fundamentals of liturgical choral conducting, and teach them how to handle the practical realities of leading and growing a liturgical music choir. In the sessions, the instructor will offer feedback on student conducting, teach basic conducting technique, and introduce topics like giving pitches and maximizing rehearsal time. Instruction will be offered in both group and individual settings. In addition to the conducting sessions, students will participate in all choir rehearsals and musicianship classes.


Vocal Technique Training

Photini Downie Robinson and Alice Hughes

The vocal technique track will focus on healthy technique to enable singers to sing for a lifetime. This track is beneficial both to singers and to conductors. Singers will learn techniques to enhance breath support, endurance, stamina, proper voice placement and vowel formation; conductors will learn techniques to help their singers develop their voices within choir rehearsals and liturgical services. Participants will be given both group and limited individual instruction. In addition to the vocal technique sessions, students will participate in all choir rehearsals and musicianship classes.

Summer Music Institute Instructors

Juliana Woodill

Juliana Woodill (Conducting) is a choral director and National Board Certified Teacher at Fairfax High School in northern Virginia. She is an active musician, conductor, and clinician both for the Orthodox Church and professionally. She conducts at All Saints of America Mission in Alexandria and founded the Archdiocesan Choir of Washington, D.C., a liturgical ensemble consisting of Orthodox singers from Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. She was a featured conductor at the International Symposium of Orthodox Church Musicians Conference in 2016 and 2018 and has taught as a guest lecturer and conductor at both St. Vladimir’s and St. Tikhon’s Seminaries. Juliana grew up singing in the Orthodox Church and has participated in choirs since the age of 8, going on to receive a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Musical Theater from Westminster Choir College. She studied conducting with Dr. Joe Miller and sang with the Westminster Symphonic Choir under the baton of many conducting greats, including Christoph Eschenbach, Neeme Jarvi, Pierre Boulez, and Kurt Masur. Additionally, she teaches at Fairfax High School where she conducts multiple ensembles and teaches music theory. She is a respected clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor throughout the state of Virginia. She loves the opportunity to bring the musicianship and skills of the choral world into the church setting.

 

Dr Vladimir Morosan

Dr. Vladimir Morosan (Keynote, Advance Studies) is one of the leading experts outside Russia in the field of Orthodox liturgical music. He is Founder and President of Musica Russica, a publishing company specializing in the publication and dissemination of Orthodox choral music throughout the Western world. He is also the creator and director of the “Orthodox Sacred Music Reference Library” Project, the largest online library of Orthodox music. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Orthodox Church Music, a semi-annual journal published by PSALM, the Pan-Orthodox Society for the Advancement of Liturgical Music. As Founder and Artistic Director of Archangel Voices, a professional-level choral ensemble, he has recorded six CDs of Orthodox liturgical music in English; he is also the composer and editor of numerous choral arrangements. He serves as Project Lead for music editing and online instruction for the Department of Liturgical Music of the Orthodox Church in America. A tonsured reader in the Orthodox Church, he currently serves as Director of Liturgical Singing at St. Katherine Orthodox Church in Carlsbad, California.

 

Dr Alexander Lingas    

alexlingas

Alexander Lingas, Music Director and founder of Cappella Romana, is Professor of Music at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (Cambridge, UK), and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Performing Arts at City St. George’s, University of London. Having first come to St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 1990 for a semester of doctoral course work in patristics and liturgical theology, Alexander Lingas remained for the next three decades a regular visit to campus for research, conferences, and guest lectures (notably including 2004 Schmemann Lecture). After hosting Dr. Lingas as Artist in Residence for Spring 2023, the Seminary appointed him Professor of Music and Associate Director of its Institute of Sacred Arts.

Dr. Lingas completed his doctorate on Sunday matins in the rite of Hagia Sophia at the University of British Columbia and then, with the support of an SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship, moved to Oxfordshire to study theology with Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. From 1997 to 2021 he was a Fellow of the University of Oxford’s European Humanities Research Centre. His present work embraces not only historical study but also ethnography and performance. His awards include Fulbright and Onassis grants for musical studies in Greece with cantor Lycourgos Angelopoulos, the British Academy’s Thank-Offering to Britain Fellowship, research leave supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and the St. Romanos the Melodist medallion of the National Forum for Greek Orthodox Church Musicians (USA). In 2018 His All Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, bestowed on him the title of Archon Mousikodidáskalos. His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina awarded him the Moldavian Cross in 2019. In 2023 Dr. Lingas formed and directed the Byzantine Chant Ensemble for the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. 

 

Photini Downie Robinson

Photini Downie Robinson (Vocal Technique) is in national demand as a cantor, ensemble artist, teacher, writer, speaker, and workshop leader. She is a tonsured Cantor in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and currently serves as Protopsáltria at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. Photini is one of the core artists in the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Cappella Romana. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Performance and Computer Science from DePauw University (Greencastle, IN) and a Certificate in Byzantine Music from the Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Brookline, MA). Photini is the Founding Director of Yphos Studio and has served on the faculty of the Liturgical Arts Academy, the Trisagion School of Byzantine Music, the Synaxis of Orthodox Women Byzantine Cantors, the Koukouzelis Institute, and the Artefact Institute. Her work has been featured by Axia Women, Ancient Faith Radio, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Photini is passionate about the intersection of liturgical music and pastoral theology and strives to incorporate spiritual care and theological education into her music ministry. She especially loves working with older adults and families affected by memory loss. To that end, Photini is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Holy Cross Seminary in Boston with the goal of becoming a Board Certified Chaplain.

 

Alice Hughes

Alice Hughes (Vocal Technique) is an active performer, teacher, and conductor with over 40 years of experience as a voice teacher and conductor. After her retirement from public school teaching, she relocated to northern Virginia, where she maintains an active private voice studio. She regularly teaches workshops, clinics, and masterclasses in vocal technique. Ms. Hughes received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of the Pacific in Music Education with a choral emphasis and holds a Master of Education degree from Bethany University. She studied conducting with William Dehning and Lawrence McQuerrey. She also received additional conducting instruction from Mark Bailey, Vladimir Gorbik, Peter Jermihov, and from observing literally dozens of conductors. She studied voice with Lynelle Frankforter Weins, Robert Bernard, and in recent years with Claudia Catania in NYC. She is a founder of the West Coast Liturgical Singing Seminar, which hosted liturgical music conferences in California for more than 10 years. With her long-time collaborator, Anne Schoepp, she co-owns Seraphim Six Productions, which offers recordings and digital editions of Orthodox liturgical music in English. In October 2025 she made her NYC debut with her one-woman show, SNAPSHOTS.

Meals

All meals are included in the registration price.

All meals will be provided on campus: continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Please note that the Institute occurs during the Apostles' Fast this year, and all meals will be fast appropriate.

Institute meals begin with dinner on Tuesday, June 23, and end with brunch on Saturday, June 27

Pre-Institute meals begin with lunch on Monday, June 22, and end with dinner on Tuesday, June 23.

Limited On-Campus Housing

We will have limited on-campus housing available for participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants who are doing both the Conducting Intensive and the Summer Music Institute will be given preference for the on-campus housing. Please note that participants must bring their own bed linens and towels.

  • Pre-Institute Intensive (Monday-Tuesday: one night)
    • Double-occupancy room: $50
    • Single-occupancy room: $87.50
    • Sunday arrival (extra night, no meals): $87.50
  • Summer Music Institute (Tuesday through Saturday: four nights):
    • Double-occupancy room: $200
    • Single-occupancy room: $350
    • Sunday departure (extra night): $87.50

Hotel and Lodging Information

The closest hotels we can recommend are Hampton Inn & Suites, Yonkers, and at the SpringHill Marriott, Tuckahoe. The Hampton Inn and SpringHill Suites are each about a 10-minute drive from the Seminary. Please note that the Institute is happening during the World Cup, so rooms will be more scarce and prices will go up. Plan to make your reservations early.

Airport Information

The two most convenient airports to St. Vladimir's Seminary are LaGuardia (LGA) and Westchester County (HPN). An app-based car service (like Uber or Lyft) from LaGuardia to the Seminary usually costs $60-$100 for a one-way trip.
St. Vladimir's Seminary is located at 575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707. Some map and GPS programs may prefer “Tuckahoe” as the city name.

If you would like to come but require financial assistance, we suggest you begin by approaching your parish, deanery, or diocese for their support. 

We have a limited amount of financial assistance we can offer to in-person applicants for the Music Institute (June 23–27). Please email musicinstitute@svots.edu for information. There is no financial aid available for the Pre-Institute Intensive.

We are willing to accommodate cancellations, but as the Institute approaches, we have to enforce a cancellation policy. This is because we have had to turn down registrants who otherwise would be able to participate if there were space. Please email musicinstitute@svots.edu with any cancellation requests. The schedule for refund eligibility is:

  • Until March 15, you can receive a 100% refund.
  • From March 15 to June 5, you can receive a 50% refund.
  • From June 6 to June 12, you can receive a 30% refund.
  • From June 13 onward, no refunds are available.