Spokane, September 4, 2026
With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Vasily of San Francisco and the West, the inaugural Northwest Orthodox Choir Directors Conference was held August 27–29 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Spokane, Washington.
The conference featured guest presenter Subdeacon Stephen Ritchey, head director at St. Symeon Orthodox Church (OCA) in Birmingham, Alabama. The conference brought together 25 regional choir directors from throughout Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Canada, representing the OCA, Serbian, Antiochian and Greek jurisdictions. The conference offered sessions on directing, musicality, chanting and leadership.
“The goal of this conference was to support regional directors in learning and growing in their musical leadership abilities,” conference co-chair Elizabeth Jerrell explained. “The feedback we received from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Directors left feeling encouraged and equipped to implement what they had learned back at their home parishes.”
The event ended Saturday morning, culminating in a pan-Orthodox Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Church, with conference attendees singing as the choir, directed by Subdeacon Stephen Ritchey.
Participants ranged from directors with very little experience to those with decades of experience. The conference emphasized how a beautiful choir helps to facilitate and elevate prayer within the Divine Services, and the importance of pursuing a higher standard of musicality.
The conference was sponsored by St. Luke Orthodox Church (OCA) in Spokane, Washington.
Videos from the Saturday Liturgy have been uploaded to the conference’s YouTube page.
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