Please forgive me for not posting. This
has turned out to be a very busy few weeks! Of course, there is so
much to say, I can't really remember it all, so i'll share what I
can, sorry!
I promised to share about the the Master Class. What is that? Well, a renown conductor from Moscow, Vladimir Gorbik came to offer a three day class to certain seminarians in the Seminary choir. It is quite an honor to be involoved and to sing under these circumstances. I can't say much about Mr. Gorbik, but my impression of him were that he is a very humble and pious Orthodox Christian. I watched him conduct and he did so with the blessings of God. He put 100% into his offering to the Lord, his conducting. I know it sounds strange the way I have described this, but let me tell you what I meean by this kind of description. See, I have a personal quirk about me. I love to watch and hear the performance of orchestras and musicians, but I am physically uncomfortable—put off—when the performance is not 100%. It's not a judgement, but rather a asceticism of listening, of sorts. I am not saying this to puff up my own evaluation of things, but just to describable my quirk. Interestingly enough, the best performers who usually give 100% are real jerks. Sorry to say, but it's usually the case. Again, more of an observation—not a judgement. Anyways, Mr. Gorbik struck me as humble and he gave 100%. It was a joy to watch him conduct with such Godly fear—love.
I promised to share about the the Master Class. What is that? Well, a renown conductor from Moscow, Vladimir Gorbik came to offer a three day class to certain seminarians in the Seminary choir. It is quite an honor to be involoved and to sing under these circumstances. I can't say much about Mr. Gorbik, but my impression of him were that he is a very humble and pious Orthodox Christian. I watched him conduct and he did so with the blessings of God. He put 100% into his offering to the Lord, his conducting. I know it sounds strange the way I have described this, but let me tell you what I meean by this kind of description. See, I have a personal quirk about me. I love to watch and hear the performance of orchestras and musicians, but I am physically uncomfortable—put off—when the performance is not 100%. It's not a judgement, but rather a asceticism of listening, of sorts. I am not saying this to puff up my own evaluation of things, but just to describable my quirk. Interestingly enough, the best performers who usually give 100% are real jerks. Sorry to say, but it's usually the case. Again, more of an observation—not a judgement. Anyways, Mr. Gorbik struck me as humble and he gave 100%. It was a joy to watch him conduct with such Godly fear—love.
Vladimir Gorbik
© STOTS/Christopher Patton
Veronika and I did not sing in the
choir, rather, we cooked for the workshop/Master Class. What a joy!
Boy, the singers were hungry. BTW, the choir was composed of
seminarians from St. Tikhon's, St. Vladimir's and Holy Trinity, plus
a few from here and there. It was a great gathering and I am sure a
great time of bonding for all those involved. The Class began on
Friday and concluded with a performance on Sunday night. It was
awesome!
© STOTS/Christopher Patton
Well, something delightful happened
that Friday of the concert. Some ethiopian Christians can to visit
one of the seminarians, an Ethiopian Bishop. They brought delightful
food and were so kind to invite me to eat with them. I thank God for
the fellowship. The food was so good, so tasty. Ethiopian cuisine is
one of my favorites!
Another event that was held was the
Dinner in honor of Metropolitan Tikhon. His Beatitude joined us in
the seminary community along with His Grace Bishop Michael and His
Grace Bishop Mark. Veronika and I cooked the meal (Roast Beef,
Tomatos soup, Mash Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans). We also sang a
song together. I played rhythm guitar in the recent incarnation of
Dr. Harry and the Dogmatics. Dr. Harry, one of the seminary Theology
professors tries each year to get together a band of sorts to plays
some tunes. He gets some of the seminarians. This was my second time
in he group. It was amazing. The whole dinner was a success and
everyone enjoyed the music!
© STOTS/Christopher Patton
The weekend of March 17th
brought none other than St. Patrick's day! Being part Irish, I
couldn't but celebrate this venerable Father and Enlightener. Several
families gathered at our house and we partook of some great authentic
Irish dishes. We were blessed by the fellowship!
Roasted Cabbage
Guinness Brown Bread and Irish Soda Bread
Cál ceannann (Mash Potato and kale)
Guinness Stout Cake w/Green Tea Icing
Beer Battered Pollock
Veronika and the boys are well. We are
eagerly anticipating the arrival of Baby Baldwin (April 22). Though
very tired, Veronika is happy and healthy. She is thankful for the
wonderful and loving community here and for everyone's support and
prayers. The boys are happy and healthy and loud and rambunctious as
ever! We thank God every day for our wonderful little family.
Now, we find ourselves in the Great
Fast. Clean Week is nearly over. The time here at Seminary is passing
very quickly. During Clean week, there are no classes. We have
services from 6am until 8:30, then 10:30 til Lunch. Then again from
4pm til 5:30pm. The schedule is similar on Wednesday and Friday
except that the Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts is celebrated at
10:30am. It is indeed exhausting, but a blessed experience. We have
prayed at the monastery all week during these hours of services and
have received such great blessings and Grace from God. It is truly
beautiful.
Please remember we are happy to pray
for you requests. We attend frequent service at the Monastery where
the body of St. Alexis is and also relics of many other saints
including St. Nikolai of Zicia, St. Herman and St. Raphael of
Brooklyn. Please message me or e-mail me (alexis.baldwin@stots.edu).
Also, if you would like to help us cover our expenses, we are very
grateful. Every little bit counts for a lot. You can either click on
the donate for paypal, or send us a check (please contact me if you
need our home address). Thanks so much. Please remember us in your
prayers!
The Baldwins
No comments:
Post a Comment