A vibrant, youthful, and robust sound. The well-blended voices sing with a confidence and enthusiasm that pairs perfectly with the liturgical text in the English language still then in its infancy. The granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in America in 1970 issued a new chapter in her liturgical life and this recording is a beautiful first-offering.
—Fr. Mikel Hill
From Musica Russica:
This CD contains two historic recordings of American Orthodox liturgical singing, made in the early 1970s by the St. John’s Girls Octet of Warren, Ohio. The re-mastered vinyl LPs, “From My Youth” and “New Valaamo,” include 25 tracks and feature a number of arrangements and compositions in English by American composers. In the summer of 1973, the Octet was invited to Alaska, where they spent six weeks traveling and singing throughout the state before thousands of native Orthodox faithful. While paying tribute to the youthful, missionary-minded spirit of St. John’s Girls Octet, the newly released CD aims to support the ongoing missionary work in Alaska, in that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to St. Herman’s Orthodox Seminary in Kodiak. “How wonderful it is for me to remember these young women....Thank you, O Lord, for this most marvelous gift that a priest can ever be given!”--From the Introduction by Father Thomas Hopko
