Lyra will Bring Sounds of Russia to St. John's Church in Waterbury, Connecticut

The Russian a cappella group Lyra from St. Petersburg will make its second appearance at St. John's Episcopal Church in Waterbury on September 6 at 7 p.m. The group, whose members work as choir conductors, opera singers, instrumentalists and music teachers throughout St. Petersburg, will perform sacred music of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian folk songs. Their repertoire includes pieces by composers Dmitry Stepanovich Bortnjansky, Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Pavel Tchesnokov, Alexander Tikhonovitch Gretchaninov, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Igor Stravinsky and others.

While LYRA performs in Russian, emcee Sergey Tupitsyn, who has traveled across the U.S. and around the world with the group, introduces each piece in English. The five- or six-member ensemble strives to maintain the sound and harmony of a much larger choir.

This is the third time in three years that Tupitsyn will perform with Lyra in Greater Waterbury. In 2005, LYRA appeared at the Woodbury United Methodist Church and in 2006 at St. John's.

Established in 1994, LYRA groups have toured Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Great Britain, Sweden and several parts of the U.S., introducing more than 25,000 people to the enormous musical heritage of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian history and culture. In 2001, LYRA was awarded the Montreux (Switzerland) International Choral Festival diploma. In 2005, LYRA was a winner of Coleraine International Choral Festival (Northern Ireland).

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and children under 15. Tickets will be available at the door, but those wishing to reserve tickets ahead of time can either send a check payable to St. John's Parish, 16 Church Street, Waterbury, or call 203-754-3116 to make reservations.

Clips from last year's concert: Choristers, Russians Wow the Crowd
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