On Friday, December 1, Tbilisi
Theological Academy and Seminary held an Evening of the Choir of
the Academy (an annual survey).
The choir was founded in 2018.
Its conductor is Lekso Gremelashvili and consists of eight members,
all of them students of different years of Tbilisi Theological
Academy - Iveri Svanidze, Luka Bzukashvili, Lasha Bzukashvili,
Tevdore Gogoladze, Deacon Genadi Tlashadze, Aleksandre Bregvadze,
Sandro Kopadze, Guram Chichilidze.
At today’s evening, the invited
guests performed hymns together with the members of the choir.
Among them were the graduates of Tbilisi Theological Academy -
monks Giorgi Askurava and Ekvtime Krupitski, who serve in the Holy
Cross Monastery of the village of Sameba located in Tsalki Region,
as well as, Master of Musicology Giorgi Abramishvili, himself a
conductor and a singer, and Beka Dadvania, a singer.
The event was hosted by Lekso
Gremelashvili. The hymns of Kartli-Kakhetian origin and those of
the Shemokmedi and Gelati schools of sacred music were performed.
Specifically, they were: The Holy God prayer, the Irmoi - Remember
me O Lord - from the Book of Akathist Hymns of Giorgi the Athonite,
You, Who Have Brought forth the Morning Star (the 9 th Irmos of the
Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), The Troparion of Saint George
(the Shemokmedi school), the 9 th Irmos of the Epiphany (the Gelati
School), O My Soul (the Gelati school), You Are the Vine (the
Gelati school), This is the Day of Easter (Khartl-Kakhetian), Song
of Praise (the Shemokmedi school), Come, Let us Worship
(Khartl-Kakhetian), the Paschal Troparion, the 3 rd Tone, Rejoice,
O Heavens (the Gelati school).
The invited guest, Hegumen of the
Holy Cross Monastery of the village of Sameba in Tsalki Region,
Lukiane Budaghashvili, himself a graduate of Tbilisi Theological
Academy, thanked the Rector of TTAS, Protopresbyter Giorgi
Zviadadze and the professors and teachers of the academy for
promoting the educational, scientific and research activities of
the students at this school. “The acquired knowledge and skills
allowed me to work at the Book of Akathists edited by Giorgi the
Athonite, together with monks Giorgi Askurava and Ekvtime
Krupitski, - noted Hegumen Lukiane Budaghashvili. In 2020 the Book
of Akathists was published within the framework of the joint
project of the Holy Cross Monastery in the village of Sameba,
Tbilisi Theological Academy, National Center of Manuscripts of K.
Kekelidze and the Teaching and Research Center of Sacred Music of
the Patriarchate of Georgia. Lekso Gremelashvili’s choir performed
the Irmai 4th tone of the Week of Remembrance, precisely, from the
aforementioned book.
The event was attended by the
professors and the students of Tbilisi Theological Academy and
Seminary. The performance of the choir was well received by the
listeners.
Archdeacon Demetre
(Davitashvili), Head of the Department of Liturgical and Pastoral
Theology, Doctor of Theology, Professor, spoke about the importance
of ecclesiastical singing, activities of the choir and performance
of hymns. He highly rated the choir’s performance at the event,
thanked Lexo Gremelashvili and the members of the choir for their
hard work, dedication and love for Georgian hymns.