ORTHODOX SINGERS is one of Estonia’s longest-standing musical ensembles. The vocal ensemble, founded in January 1989 by Valeri Petrov, has been active on the cultural scene for over three decades. The ensemble has gained recognition as one of the finest professional choir ensembles in Estonia and has been a laureate at numerous international competitions, frequently participating in various European music festivals. The ensemble consists of professional musicians who masterfully interpret stylistic means characteristic of different musical eras. Their performance style is defined by a deep immersion into every word of sacred text, flawless vocal technique, a carefully designed dynamic structure, and an exceptional sense of style. Critics have repeatedly highlighted the ensemble’s almost supernatural ability to maintain formal unity during performance while achieving an extraordinarily delicate dynamic piano, often described as “sound dissolving into silence.” Orthodox Singers is dedicated to the performance of Orthodox sacred music in all its diversity. Their repertoire includes Russian, Syrian, Greek, Serbian, Georgian, and Bulgarian Orthodox music, numerous monastic chant traditions, works by major Russian composers, contemporary Orthodox music including Estonian composers, as well as extra-liturgical sacred songs and spiritual verse from various traditions. The ensemble has toured extensively in countries including Russia, the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Ireland, Lebanon, Hungary, and Poland, and has performed in prestigious venues such as the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Philadelphia Cathedral in the USA, and at festivals in Stratford-upon-Avon, Nottingham, and Chelsea, as well as at the Moscow Easter Festival under the direction of Valery Gergiev.

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The ensemble was founded in 1989 by conductor VALERI PETROV (b. 1960), and in 2003 it adopted the name Orthodox Singers. Petrov is a highly respected expert in early Slavic chant and medieval music and a leading promoter of Orthodox sacred music in Estonia and Northern Europe. His cycle Night Liturgy (1999), based on original Valamo monastery chants, draws on various periods and styles of Orthodox music. Although he himself prefers early music, he is also an acclaimed interpreter of contemporary works, including those by Arvo Pärt, John Tavener, and Vladimir Kalistratov.

Petrov’s approach to sacred music transcends stylistic and temporal boundaries. As a highly disciplined and demanding conductor, he seeks deeply refined interpretations that reveal the finest nuances of the music. His mastery is evident in his virtuosic conducting technique, grounded in a profound understanding of both the spiritual essence of the works and the composer’s artistic intent. He is able to interpret the essential characteristics of different styles and communicate them effectively to the ensemble. His conducting is marked by economical gestures, emotional restraint, a strong sense of form, and intense spiritual focus, while also demonstrating a command of dramatic expression.

He has created several interdisciplinary projects combining music and theatre, such as The Passion of Andrew, inspired by A. Pärt’s music and depicting an artistic vision of early Christian nocturnal liturgy in Roman catacombs, and the musical drama Quo Vadis?, which combines early chants with 20th- and 21st-century musical language. In recent years, Petrov has also become known as a composer. His works range from a cappella sacred music to large-scale vocal-instrumental compositions, including the cantata God (2012), the sacred cycle Icons in Sounds (2013), the sacred opera The Voice of the Holy Mountain (2014–2019), the canon To the Guardian Angel (2017), the choral concert Songs of Sinners (2020), and the suite Christ, among others. Petrov has recorded more than 12 albums with Orthodox Singers. He received the Estonian Cultural Endowment Award in 2003 for outstanding cultural achievements, was awarded the Order of the White Star of the Republic of Estonia in 2004, and was named an Honorary Citizen of Tallinn in 2011. In 2020, he received the Annual Prize of the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s Music Endowment.