Orthodox music

Composer Mikko Sidoroff has been involved with choral music for the Orthodox Church for more than two decades. Can traditional sacred music be updated – and how? In this article, Sidoroff discusses the theological foundation for writing music and describes means by which the tradition can be enriched with new nuances.

There is something timeless about the music of the Orthodox Church – as indeed about the gilded icons, the noble ecclesiastical architecture and the scent of incense. The only instrument allowed in Orthodox churches is the human voice.