Five members of the Russian choral group LYRA performed Monday night in a Perry Fine Arts program at the Perry Performing Arts Center. The Perry show is one of 52 in the group’s two-month U.S. tour this spring.
An audience of about 75 listened to the a cappella musical program, which featured 10 sacred chants of the Russian Orthodox Church and six Russian folk sings. A witty English commentary was provided between the songs by LYRA manager and baritone vocalist Sergey Tupitsyn.
Tupitsyn was joined by soprano Anna Makarenko, tenor Denis Patsiuk, mezzo-soprano Olga Turkina and bass Miroslav Alexeev, all postgraduate scholars at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Russia’s premier musical academy and the equivalent of the Julliard School in New York City.
LYRA formed in 1994, according to Tupitsyn, and is composed of 15 to 20 members. The group’s overseas tours usually include four to six members.
The members wore formal evening wear for the sacred selections and then donned traditional peasant costumes for the second part of their Monday night performance, the Russian folk songs.
Directors of the Perry Fine Arts programs, Cathy Clark and Duane Griffin, said they enjoyed a meal with the members of LYRA prior to the show. The group travels tomorrow to Chicago.
The next event in the Perry Fine Arts calendar is the 40th annual Musical Extravaganza and Ice Cream Social, July 4 at the First United Methodist Church in Perry. Iowa singer and songwriter Carol Montag will be the featured musical guest.
Perry Fine Arts concerts are free and open to the public. In order to maintain the high quality of the Perry Fine Arts concerts, the non-profit organization depends on tax-deductible donations. For more information, contact Duane Griffin at 515-465-4782, duligriffin@mchsi.com, 1802 W. Second St., Perry, IA 50220.
