Orthodox worship is sung worship. Holy Scripture is chanted in an elevated style that distinguishes it from ordinary speech. Prayers and petitions are chanted by the clergy; the faithful, led by the choir, sing in response. The choir sings without instrumental accompaniment as Church tradition teaches us that only human voices are capable of uttering rational praise, and do so when united in the liturgical worship of God.

Church music is strictly ordered by the liturgical cycles that govern what is properly sung at each hour of the day, on each day of the year, and throughout each season of the Church's liturgical year. In addition, hymnody is organized according to the system of Eight Church Tones which have been used for centuries in all of the various Orthodox worship traditions.

At St. Seraphim Cathedral, worship is conducted in English with the majority of Church singing done according to the Russian-style practice. Some Byzantine and Serbian hymnody as well as hymnody from America is incorporated.

The choir is led by Reader Nicholas Paraskevas, who has been a member of the parish since 1980. He is assisted by his wife, Lydia, who has been a member of the parish since 1982, and Lazar Rogers, who joined the parish in 1999. Monthly services in Church Slavonic are led by Matushka Inga Kroll and Irina Privenzentseva.

The choir rehearses every Sunday at 8:45am in preparation for the morning's Divine Liturgy. The choir also rehearses twice-a-month on Monday evening in the old cathedral (parish hall) located on Throckmorton.

The Monday rehearsal schedule is organized into three trimesters:

September-December (from the Church New Year through Christmas),

January-April (After Theophany through Pascha) and

May through August (after Pascha up to the Church New Year).

Each trimester will have 8 rehearsals, generally two per month. A complete listing of the Monday rehearsal schedule is part of each monthly calendar. Those interested in singing should contact Nicholas Paraskevas.

New choir members are always welcome!

Divine Liturgy

For Entrance & Vesting of Bishop
  From the rising to the setting of the sun – Traditional
  Meet it is – Greek chant (Lvov)
  Ton Dhespotin – Traditional
  Thy soul shall rejoice in the Lord – Kievan chant, Tone 7
  Eis polla eti, Dhespota (trio) - Bortniansky

Antiphons
  First Typica antiphon – Greek chant (antiphonal style)
  Second Typica antiphon – Greek chant (antiphonal style)
  First Typica antiphon – Krasnostovsky
  Second Typica antiphon – Krasnostovsky

  First Daily Antiphon – Znamenny chant
  Second Daily Antiphon – Znamenny chant
  Third Daily Antiphon – Znamenny chant 

Only-begotten Son
  Byzantine (Sakellarides)
  Soloviev 

Beatitudes
  Greek chant
  Zboinka
  Moscow chant
  Rimsky Korsakov

Eisodicon
  Common chant
  Serbian, Tone 4 

Troparia & Kontakia
  O Protection of Christians - Canon melody
  O Protection of Christians – Tone 8 

Trisagion
  O Lord, save the pious
  Holy God – Common chant, Hierarchical
  Holy God – Beljaeff
  Holy God – Kievan chant
  Holy God – Moscow chant 

Prokeimena & Alleluia
  Tone 1 – Znamenny chant
  Tone 2 – Znamenny chant
  Tone 3 – Znamenny chant
  Tone 4 – Znamenny chant
  Tone 5 – Znamenny chant
  Tone 6 – Znamenny chant
  Tone 7 – Znamenny chant
  Tone 8 – Znamenny chant
  Alleluia – common chant
  Alleluia – Moscow chant 

At the Gospel 
  Common chant, Kievan chant

Cherubim Hymn
 1.   Bortnyansky No. 5
 2.   Greek chant, Smolensky
 3.   “Sofronievskaya”
 4.   Old “Simonovskaya” (n. 69)
 5.   SAG
 6.   Archangelsky No. 5
 7.   Lomakin
 8.   “Streletskaya,” Smolensky
 9.   Kastorsky
10.  “Sofronievskaya,” Kastalsky
11.  Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra

Creed
  Akathist melody  

Anaphora
1.       A. Glagolev
2.       SAG
3.       Feofanofskoye
4.       Lirin
5.       Kievan, Ledkovsky
6.       Archangelsky, E-flat
7.       Kedroff
8.       TBD
9.       Archangelsky, e minor
10.     Yaroslav chant 

To the Theotokos
  Meet it is – Common chant, Tone 8
  Meet it is – Bulgarian, Tone 6
  Meet it is – “Joy of the Heavenly Hosts”
  In thee rejoiceth – Znamenny, (Fr. H. Madison)
  The Angel Cried – Valaam chant, Balakirev

Our Father
  Rimsky-Korsakov

Koinonika – 1
  Psalm 148
  Psalm   22
  Psalm   23
  Psalm 111
  Psalm   32
  Hymns of Preparation 

Koinonika – 2
  Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord
  Receive ye the Body of Christ – Common chant
  Receive ye the Body of Christ – Moscow chant, Fortunatto
  Receive ye the Body of Christ – Kievo-Pecherskoye melody
  Receive ye the Body of Christ – Valaam chant, Kovalevsky/Zhavorenkov
  Receive ye the Body of Christ – Alaskanmelody
  Receive ye the Body of Christ – Kedrov 

We have seen the True Light/Let our mouths be filled/Litany
  Byzantine (Sakellarides)
  Common chant, Tone 2
  Novgorod chant
  Kedroff 

Psalm 33
  Blessed be the Name of the Lord - Common Chant
  Blessed be the Name of the Lord  Bortniansky
  Psalm 33 – Common chant
  Psalm 33 – Kievan Monastery of the Caves 

Dismissal
  Common chant  

Litanies
  Great Litany
  Little Litany
  Litany of Supplication
  Litany for the Catechumens
  Litany for the Departed
  Morning/Evening Litany
  Litany of the Prothesis
  After the Megalinarion; before the Lord’s Prayer
  Kephaloklista (Bow your heads unto the Lord)

Vespers
  O Gladsome Light - Dvoretsky
  O Theotokos Virgin, rejoice - 1 - Common chant, Tone 4
  O Theotokos Virgin, rejoice - 2 - Galician chant
  O Theotokos Virgin, rejoice - 3 - Greek chant
  O Theotokos Virgin, rejoice - 4 - A. Archangelsky (adapted)
  O Theotokos Virgin, rejoice - 5 - Kievo-Greek chant
  O Theotokos Virgin, rejoice - 6 - Rachmaninoff