The Illinois Orthodox Choir

The Beginning

In 2015, Zhanna fulfilled one of her goals by founding a Christian choir dedicated to the performance of Orthodox Christian Music, and The Illinois Orthodox Choir was born.

Group of nine people standing in front of an ornate religious altar with icons and a central mural of Jesus Christ, inside a church.

This remarkable choir of dedicated local singers has performed under her direction in a variety of venues and community organizations.

In 2021, their first CD was produced and included some of the works by Abbess Katherine Weston being performed for the very first time.

Four men standing in a church choir, singing with music stands in front of them, with religious icons on the wall behind them.

Zhanna’s work within the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America includes work as an instructor for choral conductors at all levels. She is an active clinician and presenter at the Sacred Music Institutes of the Archdiocese. In 2022, Zhanna was appointed as a board member of The Department of Sacred Music of the Antiochian Archdiocese.

A group of eight people, five women and three men, standing and singing in a church. They are positioned behind music stands with sheet music. The church has wooden furnishings, candles, and decorative rugs on the floor.

In July of 2023, Zhanna participated as a member of the National Antiochian Archdiocese Choir at the Archdiocese’s Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. In July of 2024, she sang in two the National Antiochian Choirs, 4-part choir and Byzantine Choir at St. George Antiochian Cathedral, Pittsburgh, PA.