KYIV CHAMBER CHOIR
ARCHBISHOP IONAFAN. LITURGY OF PEACE

After more than three centuries of domination of eastern Slavonic Divine Liturgies in its concert style of music, the "Liturgy of Peace" is received and accepted as something un-expected. Its uplifting "awakening -angelic" and lulling intonations carry peace and harmony, giving birth to passion, as though uniting us with the Kingdom of Heaven. That is why it is no coincidence that it is titled: "Litany of Peace", "Angelic".
"Liturgy of Peace" — is the spiritual fruit of many years of reflection and the seekings of Archbishop Ionafan as to the way to Universal Peace, which is so necessary today in our uncertain lives.

The author dedicates the "Liturgy of Peace" to the eternal memory of his spiritual guardian Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) — the eminent religious champion and upholder of Christian unity and Peace.
Archbishop Ionafan (Anatolij Ivanovych Yeletskyh) was born in Russia on the 30th January 1949 in the Voronezkij oblast (now Bilhorodska). In 1976 he graduated from the Leningrad Theological Academy (now St. Petersburg) attaining the learned level of Candidate of Theological Learning. Simultaneously, he studied choral directorship at the Theological Academy under the tutorage and in the classes of N.D.Uspenskij, a famous music expert and doctor of Theology and liturgical historian.

For ten years Archbishop Ionafan lectured at the Theological Academy and within the department of Choral Directorship where he directed the student choir in the seminary church. In 1986 and prior to 1,000 years of Christianity of Kyivan Rus, and under the directorship of the then Hieromonk Ionafan (Yeletskyh) the student choir of the Leningrad. Theological Academy and its Choral Faculty produced the first ever receding in vinyl form of his authored works.

In 1988 Archbishop Ionafan - the then Vicar of the Kyiv — Pechersk monastery of the Caves in its God-serving rites revived the traditions of monastic singing. The Kyivan Chamber Choir "Blahovist" under the directorship of Victor Skoromnyj recorded a Compact Disc titled "Traditional and New Chants of the Orthodox Church", which included the original creations and arrangements of Archbishop lonafan. For several years Archbishop lonafan was a member of the International Jury at the Church Musical Festival in Chajnuvka, Poland.

Archbishop Ionafan is the author of many works and translations of church music. The Publishing House "Musical Ukraine" published his collection of musical writings: "Christ is Born", "Antiphonal Verses for Matins", "Orthodox Chants". And now into the world and into the library of works of the Chamber Choir "Kyiv", enters his "Litany of Peace".

Several creations of Archbishop Ionafan have entered the treasury of classical spiritual chants of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church ("Antiphonal Verses", "Your Holy Palace", "Thou hadst Fallen Asleep — Exapostilarion"). The musical activity of Archbishop lonafan supplements the multifarious foundational recovery, restoration and deciphering of ancient-Ukrainian church melodies of the XVI century, the epoch of its ancient methods being the priceless spiritual inheritance of a great Slavonic culture.