THE YALE RUSSIAN CHORUS

by Connor Wood Today was one of the best days of my life. We woke up early in the morning to board a bus for a little town called Zaraysk, which is almost a thousand years old. It took over three hours to cross the fields and forests that separate Zaraysk from Moscow. When we arrived, the town felt frozen in time. A few of the buildings were wooden and clearly at least a century old; all were no younger than the Soviet period. After a very hospitable lunch, we got a tour of the city’s kremlin—a general term for an old town’s fortress, not just the famous one in Moscow. As I walked through the gate I was struck by how this run-down, beautiful old fortress was twice as old as my country. I wonder what it’s like to grow up surrounded by such ancient things: on one hand, I hope it gives people a sense of the vastness of history and of our small place in it, but on the other hand, it’s easy to get used to what you pass by every day.  Climb ing up to the spring After the k...

by Eric Yu It’s not where we are right now, but somehow it’s a place that none of us can forget. We’re singing this song as we walk back from the Pushkin Lycee, a local Russian high school with a marvelous auditorium, great tea, and girls wearing BTS t-shirts (Fake Love anyone?) (editor’s note: BTS is Korean boy band and “Fake Love” is the title of one of their hits). Alright, forget West Virginia for now. It will come back later. Today we woke up at 8:55am sharp, thanks to some relentless knocking by our very own Zosia Caes. She brought all of us boys to the yard to rehearse in “Bar Garage,” where we ran some of our favorite songs for the concert, including Ekh Dorogi and Little Lamb. After a quick metro ride and walk, we performed our second concert in Russia. A very cute audience of elementary and middle schoolers greeted us, and we blew their minds with Little Lamb and Brigands. Alaric Krapf made several strange noises, and some girls in the front row lau...

by Malcolm Dickinson This morning was a sad occasion. After one final deluxe breakfast buffet (including unlimited fresh fruit, custom cooked omelets, and real coffee) we bid goodbye to the Marriott Tverskaya Hotel. Belongings were stuffed into suitcases, garment bags were zipped and carried downstairs, and we turned in our electronic room keys. A bus took us to the Bogorodokoy neighborhood on the northeast edge of Moscow, where we found our new lodgings, a motel called Otel Formula ”Za Rulyem”, on a street of tall 1950s era apartment blocks. It turns out the hotel takes its name from a car-racing magazine, “Formula Za Rulyem.¨ It translates as “formula one racing ‘by the book.’” The hotel is clean and safe. In every other aspect, it is the exact opposite of the Marriott. Each room is equipped with two narrower-than-twin beds; the strip of floor down the middle is just big enough for one small nightstand. Showers and toilets are located off a common hallway. Add in ...

by Ernie Tucker Yesterday, Sunday May 26, dawned early for many of us still on US time.  Fortunately, to ease us in, Stepan got us a bus to deliver us to our first concert venue: the marvelous Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, one of the tallest Orthodox churches in the world. It was built in the 19th century to celebrate Russia’s victory over Napoleon in 1812. In 1882, it was the site of the world premiere of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, but was destroyed by Stalin in 1931 to build the Moscow subway.  Times changed again, and the cathedral was entirely rebuilt and reconsecrated in 2000. Photo by Ladislav Charouz We were welcomed there and given an excellent tour of the whole cathedral and its remarkable museum of church icons. This was followed by lunch in the staff cafeteria and a walk around the grounds. The weather was perfect for seeing sights in the area. All of this was prelude to a remarkable concert in the early evening, which featured...

by Ladislav Charouz At least a couple of us started the day by crawling out of bed to close the window curtains and falling back asleep. In Moscow, the sun rises absurdly early this time of the year – around four o’clock. Fortunately, I remembered to close my curtains the night before, so I arrived at breakfast quite well rested. The whole day was dedicated to rehearsing. We spent over two hours at Muzykal’naya Shkola im. V.I. Muradeli practicing the spirituals we will sing tomorrow at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral. “Steal Away,” “Ride the Chariot,” and “Little Lamb” went quite smoothly, but a whole debate arose as to whether or not we should swing “Jericho.” With good arguments on both sides, we charted an intermediate course; I believe Stepan’s words were “swing just a smidge.” The toughest song by far was “Ain’t-a that Good News.” It is a piece in which timing, especially the entrances of different sections, is of paramount importance, so everything ...

by Alton Wasson I arrived a day early and was welcomed by Stepan. We enjoyed a Georgian dinner. After a walk across the bridge over the Moscow River, I went to bed early to catch up on lost sleep from the flight. The chorus arrives today so we spent the morning buying folders, SIM and metro cards and phone plans in preparation. This afternoon we will greet everyone arriving at the Marriott and then all settle in to rest before our day of rehearsal Saturday and the festival performance on Sunday at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral. At noon Stepan met with a nytimes friend and a Grammy nominated Russian church choral director for a lively conversation. He will attend our concerts and support our efforts here. He may also come to the US to offer a master class next year. As they arrived each person received a new schedule and a lovely greeting letter from Stepan appreciating all the contributions from many individuals who helped the trip to happen. He invited us to n...

by Peter Bogyo It has been 42 years since I was last in Russia, during my senior year at Yale.  Only then it was called the Soviet Union. What a difference those years have made. One of the first things that struck me when we exited from customs into the arrival hall of the beautiful and modern Domodedovo Airport was the proliferation of commercial ads all around the hall, like the ads on the inside of a American baseball field or an ice rink- KFC in particular was advertised everywhere, which was not what I was expecting! Moscow seems much, much more prosperous than I recall from 1977, although I have been advised that Moscow is its own special world, and what one sees here should not be taken as true for all of Russia.  Before all else, I was impressed by the number of, and variety of automobiles all around- Mercedes, BMWs, Audis, and Hondas, to name just a few.  During my first visit, cars were a rarity, and almost exclusively of Russian mak...