The male choir 'Optina Pustyn'

The Optina Pustyn male choir was founded in the Dormition Metochion of the Optina Pustyn monastery in St. Petersburg in 1996. Together with a team of musical paleographers, the choir engages in the revival of ancient Russian chant legacy. Many song manuscripts from the collections of academic libraries started to sound new at daily services in the Dormition Metochion and were later included in numerous concert programmes. The Optina Pustyn choir has performed in over 35 Russian cities and towns and in over 20 countries worldwide. Over the years of its existence, the choir has released 15 solo albums, as well as a collaboration album with the I Solisti Veneti orchestra on the Warner Music label.