“St. Roman the Melodist” Church Choir of Limassol Metropolitan
Cyprus
The choir was founded in 1997 and it consists of approximately 40 members who share special love for church and traditional music.
Since its foundation, the choir has been present in various concerts and church services in unoccupied Cyprus and in other countries. It has also become a tradition for the choir to be part of Christmas concerts in Limassol and other towns in Cyprus, since 1997.
In 2000 they recorded their first CD with Nativity chants, titled "Christ is born, praise Him!".
In October 2002 it honored the invitation to join the celebrations of the holy monastery of St. Simeon the New Theologian in Kalamo, Attica, where they chanted in the all-night vigil.
In July 2004, upon the invitation of the Orthodox Church of Finland, they represented Cyprus in the Festival of Church and Traditional Music of Orthodox Peoples.
In September they participated in the Kypria Festival which is organized yearly in Cyprus by the Ministry of Education and Culture.
In November 2004 they participated in the 11th choir meeting in Florina organized by the City Hall and the "Aristotelis" Foundation of Florina.
In April 2005 the second CD was recorded, titled "Let's praise St. Epiphanius in chants!" containing songs in honor of St. Epiphanius.
Of particular significance is the participation, in October 2008, in two concerts at the Sorbonne University and Notre Dame Cathedral in France, organized by the Embassy of Cyprus on the occasion of the French Presidency of the EU.
In February 2009 they participated in the musical meetings "Vasilis Mihaelides - another point of view - Larko Larkou's composition". In March, the same year, they chanted for the feast day of the Monastery of St. Martha and Mary in Bethany and during the Patriarchal Liturgy on Palm Sunday in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.
In December 2009 the third CD was recorded with the title "Listen again to Those on High!", including traditional carols and church hymns for Christmas, the New Year and the Epiphany. The recording also included the traditional music orchestra of the Metropolitan of Limassol and the Anatoli Choir.
In April 2010 they gave a concert in Dusseldorf, Germany.
In March 2012 they participated in the feast day of the Monastery of St. Gerasimos of Jordan, as well as in the Patriarchal Liturgy on the Sunday of the Holy Cross at the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.
In July 2012 they gave a concert in the Cyprus University Festival, with songs by Cypriot composers from the 14th to the 20th century, in collaboration with musicologist Cristina Dimitriou.
In October 2012, they performed at the International Orthodox Music Festival "Ancient Beauty" in Prague.
In August 2014 they chanted in the Dormition of the Theotokos Vigil at Vatopedi Monastery and for the Feast of the Holy Pious Joseph the Hesichast.
In December 2015, they released a CD titled "Chants of the Holy Liturgy" in a double volume, accompanied by a book containing chants in psaltic notation.
In September 2016 they gave two concerts in Cyprus with performer Dimitrie Basi.
In August 2017 they participated in the International Festival of Religious Music in Patmos, and in 2017 in the Festival of Religious Music in Bogota, Colombia.
The choir chants, on a regular basis, during important masses throughout the year celebrated in the Metropolitan of Limassol: on the feast day of St. John the Merciful, the feast of St. Athanasius the Great, the feast of the Protection of the Theotokos, and St. Roman Melodist, etc.
For the commemoration of 1400 years since the repose of St. John the Merciful, the choir is preparing a CD with the Saint's Paraklisis and other chants from services dedicated to him.
Finally, the choir is also co-responsible for the School of Church and Traditional Music of the Metropolitan of Limassol, which has bred the newer members of the choir.
The choir's conductor is Father Nicholas Limburides, a ministering priest at the Church of St. Peter and Paul and St. Artemius.
Părintele Nicolae Limburides (dirijorul corului)