I am Protopsaltis (First Cantor) of the Diocese of Portland and Etna, and director of the Schola Cantorum of Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Cathedral Parish in Portland, OR.  Be sure to "like" and "follow" the Schola Cantorum on Facebook, and if you are an Orthodox Christian interested in singing with a developing Byzantine choir or learning to chant, come join us at the Portland Cathedral

Most of the recordings posted on the site are either from my studio, or of the Schola chanting live in Church services.

May we who chant in Church always remembre the words of the Envoys of St. Vladimir when the arrived at Agia Sophia: “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere on earth."

I truly believe that the calling of the Psalti, to chant the Lord's praises in the liturgy of the Church is the highest calling a man can answer.  As much varied music as I have performed in my life, Byzantine chant is probably one of the most  important things in my life.  I have been studying traditional Byzantine liturgical chant for the last 20 years.  In 1995 I assumed the role of senior chanter/Protopsaltis of Holy Nativity of the Theotokos  Parish -now Cathedral in Portland oR, and was recently appointed by our hierarch as the Protopsaltis of the Metropolis of Portland and the West, a province of the American Eparchy of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece.  I am zealously interested in the teaching, dissemination and performance of traditional Byzantine chant, particularly in its liturgical context in the English language.   I am active in transcribing and adapting many of the classical Byzantine melodies into the English Language.  To practice Traditional Byzantine Chant, one must thoroughly understand it, and to understand it, one must have an vital encounter with the fullness of the tradition.  That is what I am alll about.

Currently I reside in the Portland, OR area and have a small smattering of students from Portland to Northern California to Concord, NH.

If I were to adopt a mission statement, perhaps it would be "to promote excellence in Byzantine liturgical music to the best of our abilities through liturgical performance, composition and teaching and to increase the love of the beauty of God's House through music."

Other than that, working my"day gig" of nearly 2 decades for  Portland's major health care networks, and spending time with my wife and two cats.   Not much to my life.

RichardRBarrett is following