www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship The Kliros Cantor Introductions

I am Steve Puluka one of the primary cantors for Holy Ghost Church in Mckees Rocks PA. I�m a "cradle" Byzantine Catholic raised in the Manville NJ parish (now in Hillsborough.) I sang at the with the cantors from my teen years and was taught to sing the epistle reading as well.

I spent two years as a college seminarian at SS Cyril & Methodius where the program included singing lessons and some basic Church Slavonic. My chant education also includes two years of the Advanced cantors Institute under Jerry Jumba and seven years of the current Metropolitan Cantors Institute. I do read music and have basic keyboard skills to help in learning new pieces.

I am also only three classes from completing my Masters degree in theology in the joint program with SS Cyril & Methodius with Duquesne University.

Since 1985 I have been a member of Holy Ghost and apprentice with John Skreptach of blessed memory and now lead services. I have posted a fuller Chant Resume [puluka.com] on my web site some time ago.

I am Jim Sprinkle, lead cantor for St. Thomas Byzantine Catholic Church in Gilbert, AZ. My wife and I were received into the parish in 2002 from a local OCA parish, where I had been tonsured a Reader, served at the altar, read, sang in the choir, served on the parish council, and attended a diocesan convention as a delegate. When there is no conflict, I still occasionally sing with them.

I was a music performance major in college at UNC-Greensboro, where I performed in the Greensboro Symphony. I continued to study privately with several flutists around the country, performed in other orchestras in Arizona and New Jersey, and gave chamber recitals, but worked as an AT&T manager, until retiring in 1998. I continue to perform with a small ensemble of string players in concert locally.

Our elder cantor received his KSG last year after 47 faithful years of service in America and Slovakia, and has been extremely helpful in gradually transitioning his responsibilities to me. Since I read music, we have been able to fully utilize whatever musically notated materials are available. I also arrange service music for Kliros use and parish handouts, when none is available but a specific tone is called for.

I am Adam Kemner from St Luke Byz. Cath. Church in Sugar Creek, Mo. (in the Kansas City metro area). I am the second string cantor on Sundays and major feasts (at the Liturgy), and left side cantor at vespers. I also read the epistle and psalm verses at the Liturgy (Prokeimenon, Alleluia, Communion, Ps 33). On weekdays (when my car works) i am the cantor for daily matins.

I graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia (Dec 2003) with a Bachelor in Arts in Music, and have almost 90 hours of music theory, history and performance under my belt (I studied mostly theory and composition, and the Violoncello was my primary and percussion, basson, and piano were my secondary instruments).

I have no direct chant pedigree (cantors are hard to come by here), but have learned from listening to Fr Sopoliga's tapes, as well as recordings from Slovakia, and by setting troparia and kontakia (and occasionally stichera) for the Metropolitan Cantor Institute (June 2004-May 2005), following guidelines established by the Inter-Eparchial Music Commission (i mostly typeset Divine Liturgy books-Sept-Feb, and April-May, as well as the Tersext book for the Great Fast). Currently, i am trying to get materials assembled for matins, but work ont hat has temprorarily halted due to a brand new baby in the family (Baptims is 11 September for any who can make it).

In Christ,
Adam

I am one of four cantors in my parish, the Cathedral of St Mary, in Sherman Oaks(Van Nuys), Eparchy of Van Nuys. Primarily I sing the Saturday morning liturgy and occasionally on Sundays. Most Sundays the other cantors lead, while I enjoy singing harmony. I have sung many baptisms and a number of funerals, as well as Great Vespers on Saturdays during Great Lent and the Philips Fast before Christmas.

I have been an official cantor (that is, recognised as such by our priest and parishioners) in my parish for about 6 years now. I currently sing bass in our newly restored parish choir.

This September I will be finishing up 5 years of cantor studies at the Metropolitan Cantor Institute in Pittsburgh, PA. I'd like to go longer, but it is expensive to commute cross country! (I still consider it worth every penny though.)

Over the years I have had lessons on violin, accordion and piano. I do know quite a bit of music theory and have done informal improvisational compostitions. Though I don't play any of the previous instruments, I still do play organ though have never taken formal lessons. I don't play any instrument to a level even remotely approaching amateur professional!. (I do practice chant and choir arrangements on my Rodgers 321, 3 manual organ, in my small living room when I'm not distracted and improvising).

My early chant education is largely from growing up in a parish that has had many good cantors over the years, (along with a very good choir in years past). Also, I learned much, later on, by listening to the numerous recordings that my father made of my grandfather, along with professional recordings of my grandfather leading large groups of cantors. I also have a large collection of chant material inherited from my father who inherited from my grandfather. More recently, with over 30 trips to Pittsburgh (and visits to surrounding areas) I have picked up volumes of material that I recorded. Most recently I have, guest "cantored" (chanted) the responses in parishes in NJ, PA, WA among other locations.

I don't hold ANY college level degree, particularly anything music or otherwise which puts me at a distinct disadvantage when compared to the calibre of the many cantors who post here. I suppose if this was a true resume for a paid position, I would be a low paid cantor, indeed.

I suppose it makes me more a 'wanna be' cantor than I am in reality, so perhaps I should lay low in this forum.

Steve Petach
(what a ramble....)

After reading the previous introductions of Cantor's, I have to say after 21 years of being a Cantor at St Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church of Anchorage, Alaska, I have none of those qualifications, but do very well as a Cantor. I was born into a Roman Catholic family of Detroit, Mich., however, first learned of the Byzantine Rite back in Nov. 1982, and joined the church in Jan. 1983, while living in Anchorage since 1978. I don't read music but listen to tapes or just do something over and over again and memorized the eight tones, to put everything else to those eight tones(when needed). I am present for every liturgy that is scheduled or unscheduled, unless I happen to take a vacation. I am retired now(since 2002-Post Office and Air Force 57-78) and enjoy helping at church in any way I can . I enjoy hearing about other Cantor's and would like to learn more to do better for Our Lord. IN GOD WE TRUST. John Michalski, Jr.

I like hearing about everyone

I was received into the Byzantine church a few years ago, when my son was baptized. I was Lutheran before. I've been one of 3 or 4 cantors at St. John's Byzantine Minneapolis, MN for about 2 years.

I've studied violin since age 3, have always sung in choirs and played in orchestras. I went to St. Olaf College (a Lutheran liberal arts college with an emphasis on music), got a religion degree and then went on to a Roman Catholic seminary and got a Master of Pastoral Arts. I teach violin lessons and write - oh, am i'm a mom of a toddler and a wife. I have everything to learn about being a cantor!

Mari

I am co-cantor at St. John the Baptizer Ukrainian Church in San Diego, CA. I am also the conductor of the newly formed choir.

However, school takes me to Philadelphia so I now sing in a local church choir and help out with the epistles and various propers.

Most of my training in the liturgical music of the Kyivan Church (both Galician and Kyivan Chants) comes from the other co-cantor at the church in San Diego. He was in seminary for many years and is very versed in all the services of the Kyivan Church. My Godfather is also a priest so I have been able to learn much from him as well, especially in Kyivan chant.

Through training and much practice, I am able to cantor both a service in Ukrainian and English without the need of books, yet they always do come in handy.

I have collected and am still collecting an extensive musical library. Most of my sources come from Ukraine, while others have been passed down in the family (from the family priests) and stuff I have purchased. Also, a lot of my music has been given to me by other cantors or from people who had stuff in boxes.

I have had formal voice training for the past 4 years or so and I am turning into a Helden Tenor, or so I am told. I have a background in piano and in Ukrainian folk instruments and music.

Currently, I am arranging a Divine Liturgy for the newly formed choir back in San Diego. It will be based off of Galician and Kyivan chant, along with some of my own new compositions. Once it is finished, I plan to post it so all maybe have access to it.

just my humble introduction.

-uc

My name is Andrew John Rubis, a native of Philadelphia and a tonsured Reader serving primarily in the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America [Bp. Nikon (Liolin)]. I'm assigned to St. John Chrysostom, but also chant once a month at St. Peter & St. Paul, currently the only two Albanian Orthodox parishes in Philadelphia. When in Boston, I usually chant at Holy Trinity Albanian Orthodox Church, under the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America [Bp. Ilia (Katre)]

I studied under the Great Stephen Stefani, of blessed memory who served in Philadelphia all of his life, and with Fr. Stephen Siniari and his wife Margot in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

In Lecce, Italia with Padre Donato of blessed memory and the Greek chanter Nikos Kizlaridis at the Byz. Rite parish of St. Nicholas (Italo-Greek-Albanian Diocese of Lungro).

Later, in seminary, I studied (a poor student, I'll confess) under Fr. Elias Bitar of the Antiochian Archdiocese of America.

Further, I've been blessed to serve with the chanters in the Orthodox Church of Albania, including the Great Papa Jani Trebicka.

Some say that chanting is in the blood. My father's father chanted and my brother chants. Papa Jani and Stephen Stefani, mentioned above, were 2nd cousins.

In Christ,
Andrew