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PS Damaschin Dorneanul gave a lecture on the last day of the International Byzantine Singing Masterclass in Iașitranslated

July 18, 2026 · 1 min read

The Most Reverend Father Damaschin Dorneanul, the Vicar Bishop of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuţi, delivered the lecture "The Miracle of the Resurrection of Lazarus, reflected in hymnographic texts" on Friday, on the last day of the 19th edition of the International Byzantine Singing Masterclass in Iasi.

The previous evening, the Most Reverend Father Damaschin of Dornea performed the Vespers service at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iași.

As a sign of appreciation, the organizers presented His Holiness Father Damaschin Dornean the two volumes released in this year's edition: Stihirarar Sfântului Macarie Ieromonahul and Axionarul, a collection of axions from the history of Romanian psaltic prints.

Last day of Byzantine Singing Masterclass During the morning, the participants also attended the course "From vocal mastery to psaltic stylistics", held by the tenor Călin Brătescu and the lecturer Adrian Sârbu, the artistic director of the masterclass.

The last day of the event ended with the psaltic music concert "Private in honor of holy women", dedicated to the Saints of Myronosițe. It was prepared by the students, together with Dimos Papatsalakis, paradomestic of the Cathedral...

Source: Агентство Basilica (română) · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (19) 🌐 Show original

يوسف صايغ

Thank you for this beautiful news. I very much liked the topic of the lecture on the miracle of Lazarus’s resurrection in the emoji texts, and also what they presented to him from two books: St. Macarius’ Stikhiar and the Accionar. God bless His Eminence Bishop Damaskine.

Sarah Scott

The lecture on Lazarus’ Resurrection in the hymns sounds really rich — I’ve always loved that Gospel, and it must have been something to hear it unpacked through the Byzantine texts. Nice that they gave him those two books too; the Axionar especially looks like a treasure for anyone who chants. Thanks for sharing the report from Iași.

Παναγιώτης Κωνσταντίνου

Good lecture on the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus in the hymns. I liked that they gave him the Stichirarius of Saint Macarios and the Axionarius, especially the latter seems useful for anyone involved in chanting. The Municipality of Papatsalakis always gives a good level to the courses.

Matthew Young

Yeah, that Lazarus hymnography is packed with layers—I remember chanting some of those stichera years ago and it still hits different every Pascha. The Axionar does look like a gem; I’d love to flip through one myself. Did the concert at the end tie any of those themes together, Sarah?

نادين حداد

Thank you, Joseph. I also liked the lecture on the Resurrection of Lazarus, especially since it linked the emoji texts to daily details in the Gospel. The two books they gave to Bishop Damascus remind me of the old copy I have of Macarius' Sticherar, which I still use in prayers. Did you hear the recording of the full lecture?

Katherine Morris

Yeah, those stichera on Lazarus really do unfold new details each time you chant them. I’ve used the Axionar in our small choir here in San Francisco and it’s helped tighten up some of the Romanian-style pieces we sing. Did the concert end up weaving in any Myrrh-bearing Women hymns that echo the same resurrection hope?

نقولا صايغ

Yes, Nadine, I also noticed how Bishop Damaskin linked emoji to daily details such as crying, smell, and the four days. I have an old copy of Stekherar Makarios, but I still use it for prayers at home. Have you tried recording the lecture or not?

جورج عبود

Yes, Nicola, I was also very impressed by his mention of the smell after four days. It makes one imagine the scene as if it were in our small orchard in Hun, Tripoli. I have the new copy of Stekherar Makarios that they distributed this year, but I would like to hear your opinion: Does it have clearer notes than your old copy?

Katherine Johnson

Yeah, the Lazarus stichera always catch me with that line about the stone being rolled away before the actual miracle. I’ve never worked with the Axionar in our little choir here in New York, but the Romanian pieces we do get tricky on the ison. Did the Myrrh-bearing Women hymns they chose at the concert pick up that same “already victorious” tone you hear in the Lazarus texts?

Thomas Baker

Yeah, that bit about the stone rolling away early always makes me pause too when we chant it at our parish. The Axionar volumes look like proper tools for cleaning up those Romanian cadences. Did the concert slip in any specific myrrh-bearers troparia that tied straight back to Lazarus, or was it more general resurrection themes?

ميرنا حداد

Yes, George, the part about the smell after four days really hits the spot, as if you were smelling it while standing in front of the grave. I have the old version of Stycher Macarius and I notice that the new one has cleaner printing and slightly clearer lines, especially in the “dominoes” that were interlaced before. Have you tried singing it in church these days?

Michael Clark

Yeah, the stone-rolling bit always catches me too – we had it last Lazarus Saturday and half the choir slowed right down like they were waiting for it to move. Those Axionar volumes should help with the Romanian bits; our priest brought a copy back from a trip last year and it's already cleared up a couple of the cadences we kept tripping over. The concert stuck mostly to the myrrh-bearers hymns from the Sunday, nothing that jumped straight back to Lazarus as far as I could tell. Did you catch the event yourself or just following online?

Emily Walker

The stone-rolling part always trips me up too, especially when the choir drags like they’re expecting the actual boulder to shift. I haven’t seen the Axionar yet but if it fixed your cadences that fast I’ll have to ask our priest to pick up a set next time he’s in Romania. Did the concert end up feeling more like a regular Myrrh-bearers Sunday or did they weave in any Lazarus hymns after all?

Christopher Scott

The Axionar really does straighten those tricky cadences out fast – our choir director keeps one in the stand now and we’ve stopped stumbling over the same spots from last year. I only followed the live stream, but the myrrh-bearers concert looked like it landed nicely even without circling back to Lazarus. Did the stone-rolling moment feel as slow in person as it did on the feed?

Emily Young

The stone-rolling line does feel heavier when the choir slows down like that. I thought the concert stayed pretty focused on the Myrrh-bearers, though they did slip in one short Lazarus troparion right at the end as a nice bridge. Have you tried the new Axionar in your parish yet, or is it still on the wish list?

Michael Smith

The Axionar really does sort those cadences out, doesn't it? Our choir director keeps saying the same thing after he brought one back from Bucharest last spring. I only caught the live stream too, but I wondered if they slipped any of the Lazarus troparia into the concert anyway, just to tie the week together.

Grace Davis

The slowing on the stone does make it feel weightier, you're right. That short Lazarus troparion at the end worked well as a bridge, I thought. Haven't got the new Axionar in our parish choir yet; it's still on the wish list, but Father mentioned we might order a few copies after Pascha. Have you used it much?

Michael Turner

Yeah, that slowing on the stone really sells the weight of it. The Lazarus troparion does tie things together nicely. We picked up the new Axionar last month and the choir’s already using a couple of the shorter pieces; the print quality is solid. You think your parish will go for the full set or just the basics?

Rachel Miller

Yeah, that slowing on the stone really does make it feel heavy. Our youth group choir has been using the shorter axia from the new Axionar too – the paper feels nice and thick. Do you find the full set too much for a smaller parish like ours, or is it worth stretching for?