Traditional Russian folk song is set to hit a high note with a visit to Strathspey on Wednesday November 14 by the Valaam Ensemble who will be taking the stage for a special concert at Carrbridge village hall. The professional male choir, who are currently travelling around the UK as part of their world tour, are based at the Valaam Monastery in St
Petersburg.

Renowned for their rich and pure song, the choir's repertoire includes sacred and secular Russian music, including orthodox monastic chants, Russian polyphonic pieces of the 17th-18th century and masterpieces of Greek, Serbian, Georgian church music along with traditional folk songs from northern Russia.  During the summer months, the ensemble are based at the ancient Valaam Monastery, a spiritual centre for Russian Orthodoxy which can be found
on a group of islands in Lake Ladoga in northern Russia. Although they are not monks, the ensemble represent the monastery in singing for the thousands of visiting pilgrims and honoured guests including the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexiy II and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

The Valaam Monastery was founded by St. Serguis and St. Herman circa 900 A.D. St. Herman of Alaska, the first Orthodox saint of North America, is one of the many Russian saints who have lived there over the years. The monastery's history mirrors the falls and rises which have taken place over the past ten centuries. When Soviet power was established in Karelia in 1940, the Valaam monastery was closed. From December 1939 to February 1940 the community of all the monks evacuated the island taking with them all the church valuables and headed to Finland where they founded the New Valaam monastery (Papinniemi). A military base was erected on the island and it wasn't until 1989 that monastery life fully returned to the region. Singing without any instrumental accompaniment, the ensemble's main goal is to research, perform and preserve the rich musical heritage of northern Russia.

Their world tours have taken them as far afield as the United States, Canada, and Australia with their hope that through song, they can foster friendship and understanding between the different nations. Members of the ensemble include Mikhail Ruzanov Second Tenor (Director), Dmitry Popov First Tenor, Nikolai Kozlov and Vladimir Tselebrovsky Baritone and Mikhail Kruglov Bass Profundo. The concert at Carrbridge Village Hall is being hosted by Carrbridge Community Arts with support of Highland Council and the Scottish Arts Council.

The concert starts at 7.30pm with tickets available from the Old Bakery Coffee Shop, Carrbridge or by contacting the Carrbridge Community Arts Ticket Line on Tel: +44(0)1479 841211. Tickets can also be purchased on line
at www.thebooth.co.uk