The founding of the mixed choir under the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov was initiated by doctor Dušan Slankamenac in 1995. With wholehearted help and support of the choir’s first conductor Kamelija Ćirić, the ensemble, counting more than twenty singers at the time, starts its musical journey. Male singers later separated from the group and formed the male octet St. Seraphim of Sarov. The octet, with the blessing of Bishop Hrizostom, started participating more actively in church service and was assigned the monastery of St. Melania as its home temple.
Owing to regular rehearsals and the commitment and devotion of Professor Vladimir Prvulović, who was the conductor at the time, the octet’s repertoire rapidly grew in size and versatility.
As the ensemble developed and advanced, the need for the occasional replacement of temple surroundings for the concert podium arose. Consequently, the octet started putting on solemn concerts dedicated to their patron saint, Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, twice a year – on the date of his passing (January 15) and his canonization (August 1). The audience would be presented with the selected spiritual texts, adages, and holy fathers’ morals. The music program consisted of compositions with the themes of the Great Lent and the Resurrection. Solo singer concerts and spiritual tribunes were also organized. Many renowned soloists made guest appearances.
The choir gradually grew, advanced, and extended its scope of work. Apart from taking part in weekly church service and festive religious ceremonies in the Monastery of St. Melania the Roman and other temples in the city of Zrenjanin, the choir became an active participant in the events of the church. They took part in litias, parakleses, concerts, humanitarian actions, Solemn Academies, St. Sava Balls, as well as in marking historically important dates concerning the history of the city of Zrenjanin. Some of the most notable performances of the octet occurred in the premises of the Art Gallery of the city of Zrenjanin, the National Theatre Toša Jovanović’s hall, the Cultural Centre, the City Hall, the City Garden of Zrenjanin, the former The League of Communists of Yugoslavia Committee Hall, Freedom Square, Hotel Vojvodina, and various temple churchyards in Zrenjanin.
The choir often performed at the eparchy of Banat, as well as in the surrounding eparchies, where it participated in Holy Liturgies, temple slava’s, sanctifications, and weddings. Kikinda, Vršac, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kanjiža, Lazarevac, Valjevo, Smederevo, Pančevo, Sombor, Senta, Bečej, Obrenovac, Kraljevo, Srbobran, Ruma, Apatin, as well as monasteries Grgeteg, Krušedol, Hopovo, Jovanja, Pustinja, Vojlovica, Mesić, Ćelije, Bogovađa, and Žiča are only some of the multitude of places where the song of “the seraphimians” could have been heard.
The choir’s archive keeps a record of interesting performances at various events such as the Bread Days in Kikinda, Dormition of the Mother of God Days in Bečej, the International Day for Tolerance in Novi Sad, choir festivals of the eparchy of Banat in Vršac, performances in honor of Srem front offensive, as well as the International choir festival the Voice of Belgrade, where the choir even received awards.
Good news travels fast, and so did the Zrenjanin’s choir’s song that quickly reached many faraway destinations. The ensemble sang in temples belonging to the Serbian Orthodox Church in Stuttgart, London, Derby, Copenhagen, Malmö, Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Budapest, Vienna, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck, Zurich, Salzburg, Graz, Timisoara, Dubrovnik, Trebinje, Pecs, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, Moscow, Diveevo, and Szeged. These performances usually left a strong impression on the members of the Serbian diaspora, as well as on other Orthodox Christian believers.
The moment that will forever stay in our memories is the performance of 2005 when the entire choir put on a surprise wedding concert as a gift for the newlyweds in The Church of Sveti Sava in London, England.
In the 25 years of existence, the choir St. Seraphim of Sarov yielded many good priests, soloists, opera singers, engineers, doctors, journalists, conductors, professors, etc.