Byzantine Choir St John of Damascus

Byzantine Choir Saint John of Damascus – Romania

International Choir Competition & Festival in Provence 2025

The Byzantine choir “Saint John of Damascus” was founded in 2008 at the initiative of seminarian students from Arad, out of love for God and church singing. The byzantine choir includes priests, deacons, teachers, theological students, seminary students and young people from different fields of activity.

The repertoire of the byzantine choir consists of Byzantine and local church songs, carols and patriotic songs.

The byzantine choir “Saint John of Damascus” from Arad sang at many church services and gave concerts in the Archdiocese of Arad, but also in neighboring dioceses: Archdiocese of Timisoara, Diocese of Caransebes, Diocese of Deva and Hunedoara. They also sang at church services and gave concerts in the diaspora: Dortmund, Ulm, Augsburg (Germany), Gyula, Batania (Hungary), Vienna (Austria), Prague (Czech Republic).

In 2014, the byzantine choir “Saint John of Damascus” from Arad participated in the National Church Music Contest “Young, Praise the Lord”, organized by the Romanian Patriarchate, where it won the Second Prize.

In 2021, the byzantine choir „Saint John of Damascus” from Arad won the 3^rd Prize at The International Festival of Orthodox Church Music „Hajnówka” held in Bialystok, Poland, and in 2022 participated at The Alta Pusteria Festival held in Val Pusteria region in northen Italy.

In 2023, our choir win Gold Diploma at Herceg Novi Choir Competition, Herceg Novi, Muntenegru and in 2024 we participated among other choirs at Kostoski Festival in Ohrid, Macedonia

Since 2018, the conductor of the psaltic choir is Priest Gabriel Streulea

Gabriel Streulea, Conductor

Musical activities:

2006 – 2008 – member of the men’s choir of the Orthodox Theological Seminary from Arad;

2008 – received the Special Award for the best musical activity within the Arad Orthodox Theological Seminary;

2008 – 2014 – member of the Mixed Choir of the Faculty of Theology from Arad;

2012 – 2014 – member of the Choir of Master Conductors of the Faculty of Theology from Arad;

2013 – 2019 – member of the Chamber Choir “Capella Polifonica” from Arad;

2008 – 2018 – member of the psaltic choir “Saint John of Damascus” from Arad;

since 2018 – conductor of the psaltic choir “Saint John of Damascus” from Arad;

since 2019 – member of the Chamber Choir “Cantarad” from Arad;

Music studies:

2008 – 2012 – studies of church music and choral conducting at the Faculty of Theology in Arad;

2019 – graduate of the Byzantine School of Music of the Archdiocese of Athens, Greece.

2024 – admited at National Academy of Music „Gheorghe Dima” Cluj-Napoca

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