The Festive Male Choir of Danilov monastery is one of the world leading spiritual music ensembles. Its history is really unique, and it’s not easy to find another professional band with such an ancient tradition. The Choir is first mentioned in old chronicles. In Russia, both common people and nobility loved the Choir.

After the October Revolution, some famous singers from other choirs gathered to form the “golden composition” of Danilov’s choir, and this very ensemble took part in divine service till 1930’s. The Choir was disbanded after the monastery had been closed.

The Festive Male Choir was revived in 1989 by remarkable choirmaster, hegumen Toviya (Glasyrin). Georgy Safonov, Gnessin’s Academy of Music graduate, became its music director and choirmaster in 1994. He has been holding this post ever since.
  
The Choir consists of 30 professional singers, with each one has vocal and choir education. The ensemble is a permanent participant of international church music conferences and festivals, in Russia as well as abroad, and different youth and charity activities.

The repertoire of the Choir embraces the whole spectrum of sacred music, as well as romances, war and patriotic songs, hymns, folklore & Cossack songs (as well as “drinking sons”), Russian and foreign classics. It was that unique repertoire, as well as sincerity and soulfulness, that won the Choir fame and love of the whole world.