St. Romanos the Melodist Choir Completes Two Week Tour at St. Nicholas Cathedral

Update: click here to see an excerpt from the performance.

The St. Romanos the Melodist Choir from the Archdiocese of Beirut completed their two week tour at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY before a capacity crowd of over 450, on Saturday, September 22, 2012. Six hierarchs, numerous priests and deacons, and two counsels general from Lebanon and Cyprus, filled the cathedral for a night to remember.

To begin the concert, His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP offered words of welcome, and then the choir of twelve men, led by Father Romanos Joubran, mesmerized the crowd with their beautiful music for a hour. After a short break, Part Two began with a special guest appearance by the Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Then, to top the evening off, both choirs performed several hymns—first antiphonally, and then in unison.

Following the program, His Eminence Archbishop DEMETRIOS of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America presented Fr. Romanos and the group with a beautiful icon of St. Romanos the Melodist on a large polished stone. Metropolitan PHILIP then thanked both choirs, and all present gave the choirs a standing ovation. Fr. Romanos expressed his gratitude to His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP for allowing the group to come, and to The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch for sponsoring the tour. He also thanked the host parishes for their generosity and hospitality throughout the two weeks of concerts in Chicago, Grand Rapids, Troy, Livonia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Potomac, Worcester, Boston and New York.

The following morning, the choir sang the entire Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral with Their Graces ANTOUN and NICHOLAS presiding.

What began as a dream of the Cathedral's dean, Fr. Thomas Zain, and his Balamand classmate, Fr. Romanos, came to fruition over the two weeks of the tour. Everywhere the choir went, they received accolades. The choir's American hosts pray that this was the first of many such endeavors in the years to come. May God grant Fr. Romanos and the entire choir many years!

View the concert photo gallery.

Listen to the choir's YouTube rendition of "Osoi Eis Xriston."