Source: Orthodox Christian Network
October 22, 2015
Seven months ago, the Orthodox world was shaken when it heard the news of a young priest who was killed in a roadside accident. Fr. Matthew Baker was traveling with some of his children on an icy highway and slid off the road. He did not survive. His tragic story, and the concern for his widow and six children touched the hearts of thousands of people who responded by offering prayers, and financial support via GoFundMe, making it one of the “All-Time Most Successful GoFundMe Campaigns.”
In a gesture of love, Benedict Sheehan, the artistic director of the Chamber Choir of St. Tikhon’s Monastery, is dedicating the world premiere performance of one of his original compositions to the memory of Fr. Matthew. The event will be held at the Church of St. John Nepomucene, 411 East 66th Street, New York, NY, on November 12, 2015, Tickets will be available at the door, but may be ordered in advance online at www.MonasteryChamberChoir.com.
Fr. Matthew Baker was one of those rare, integrative, thinkers, who saw deep connections between seemingly disparate things," Sheehan said.
My father was also such a thinker, and perhaps this is why from the first, I felt an intuitive bond with Fr. Matthew. It is for this reason, as well as the fact that I somehow felt the pain of his recent death, so sudden and tragic, perhaps even more sharply than the loss of my own beloved father five years ago, that I am dedicating the world premiere performance of Triduum Paschale—a piece that explores both the agony and hope of loss, and attempts to connect a number of disparate realities along the way—to Fr. Matthew’s memory.
His Eminence, the Most Reverend Michael, Archbishop of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey and Rector of St. Tikhon’s Seminary, observed that the upcoming concert is an example of the ongoing close cooperation between St. Tikhon’s Seminary and Monastery, which have existed in a symbiotic relationship for the past 77 years.
"Benedict Sheehan (St. Tikhon’s Class of 2011) continues to manifest an active commitment to both the seminary and monastery by equipping our seminarians in the area of liturgical music as a faculty member, leading the Seminarian Mission Choir that travels to parishes across the country, while also training and directing the monastery choir in singing the responses in the daily cycle of services,” Fr. Steven said. “We celebrate his dedication to elevating and developing Orthodox liturgical music in North America.
Click here for more information. http://www.stots.edu/news_151017_3.html
For a sample of the music on the CD Let All Mortal Flesh or Till Morn Eternal Breaks
