Northwest Orthodox Choir Director’s Conference

Calling Orthodox choir directors in Northwest America…

St. Luke Orthodox Church invites you to join us for a pan-Orthodox conference on musical leadership within the church!

With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Vasily, Bishop of San Francisco and the West.

This conference is for Orthodox Church choir directors, assistant and substitute directors, and others reading or singing who have been blessed by their priest to pursue further training in musical leadership.

Conference sessions will include:

• Liturgical Directing 101
• Intro to Byzantine Chant
• Elements of Liturgical chanting
• Effective Leadership
• Musicality in a Liturgical Context
• Conflict Management and Problem Points

… and more! The conference will include breakout sessions for discussion, presentations, and hands-on, guided practice of concepts learned.

Who should attend?

Orthodox churches of the Northwest are encouraged to send their choir director and substitute/assistant directors (or someone in their choir with potential to grow into that role). We’d love to see two or three musicians from each participating parish!

We welcome all levels, whether you are just beginning in your church music journey or are an experienced director.

Note: this is not a general choir conference, open to all church musicians. Rather, this is specifically for those in musical leadership positions at their parish, as well as those blessed by their priest to pursue preparing for leadership in those positions. Attendees must receive a blessing from their parish priest prior to registration.

Conference Dates & Details

Date: August 27th-29th

Schedule Overview: Check-in will begin in the afternoon of Thursday, August 27th. Friday, August 28th will consist of a full day of sessions and workshops, with coffee and lunch provided. We will conclude with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, August 29th, with a send-off coffee hour following. A detailed schedule will be available in May.

Liturgical Music: Liturgy will be sung by the choir composed of attendees and directed by our featured speaker, Sdn. Stephen Ritchey. Music used in the workshops and in services will be sent out prior to the conference.

Location: Holy Trinity Orthodox Church (GOA) in Spokane, Washington.

Accommodations

A block of hotel rooms will be reserved for a discounted price in downtown Spokane, Washington. Further details on location and how to make your reservation will be sent out in May, or following your registration post-May.

If you need assistance with accommodation, reach out to the conference organizers NWchoirconference@gmail.com and we will assess if there is a family who could host you for your stay.

Conference Tuition

Tuition is $100 per attendee. Included in tuition is dinner Thursday, coffee and refreshments Friday morning, lunch Friday, and coffee hour Saturday. We encourage parishes to invest in their choir and cover tuition and hotel costs for their attendees. However, if you need financial assistance, reach out to the organizers and we will assess if resources are available to assist your church in attending.

Registration closes August 5th, 2026. But we encourage you to register as soon as possible to help us better plan this event!

Register for the Event

Meet Our Conference Speakers

FEATURED INSTRUCTOR
SDN. STEPHEN RITCHEY

Sdn. Stephen is a trained vocalist with a robust background in choral singing, Byzantine chant, and liturgical directing. He is currently head director of St. Symeon’s Orthodox Church choir (OCA). He can be heard in recordings from St. Symeon’s Orthodox Church, Doxa Ensemble, and Ancient Faith Kid’s Rocko’s Music Factory, of which he is co-creator.

Questions?

Feel free to reach out to event organizers at NWchoirconference@gmail.com