A New Home for the Congregation in Bishkek

In the capital of Kyrgyzstan on April 8th a long-awaited event took place – the dedication of a new house of prayer – the main cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan (ELCRK). The Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kazakhstan, Yuri Novgorodov, was present at the dedication, as were all the pastors and preachers of the ELCRK and many congregational members from the local and nearby (Vinogradnoe, Tomoka, Nizhne-Chuisk, Belovodskoe, Kant, Kirovskoe) congregations, the German ambassador, as well as guests from Germany and Kazakhstan.
The previous prayer house was partially destroyed in a fire on January 27, 2015. While that day was a tragedy for church members, now the new building has opened up its doors and it a wonderful reason to celebrate. The words of greeting that could be heard all around - “Christ is risen!” took on a special meaning this year.
During the celebratory worship service ELCRK bishop Alfred Eicholtz recalled with tears in his eyes what horror he felt as he heard watched the church burn and heard the bell as it crashed to the ground together with the bell tower. He remembered the questions that were asked to which he had no answer at the time - “Why didn't your God help you?” He shared his thoughts about how it is especially important to trust God especially when you don't see how His Providence is leading, when you can't find any answers. Time has shown, said the bishop, why God allowed the fire to happen and how He has been glorified in its restoration.
All who gathered for the celebration met in the church's courtyard. In front of the entrance and then during the worship service there was music by the Chyusky chamber orchestra. The bishop greeted those who were gathered and introduced the architect Sergei Karchin and Pastor Valentin Limanovich, who was responsible for the detail work on the building. During worship the mixed choir of the ELCRK (more than 50 people!) sang.

Choir, ministers and congregation

It is worth noting that despite the fact that the congregations are spread out, people in the congregations know each other relatively well thanks to regular church-wide events; they were particularly happy to meet this time. No one was a “guest,” but felt that this building would be their common home; after all, each in his or her own way contributed – whether it was through finances, through donating food, or by working on the cleanup after the fire. Everyone was praying constantly for God to bless the Bishkek congregation and all were thankful to the Lord for His work to make the building happen.The lack of a church building didn't get in the way of congregational ministry. Even on the day of the fire, despite the tragic event, the scheduled Bible study took place all the same. People who came to Bible study that day didn’t know what to expect, and saw before them the sad picture of burnt church. That Bible study, which was held in the nearby building of the seminary, was very memorable. The ministers who smelled of burning and smoke, dejected by what had happen, called on everyone to humbly accept God's will and to trust Him in this difficult situation.


From that time until April 8th of this year, meetings of the Lutheran congregation in Bishkek took place according to their regular schedule in the building of the seminary, and congregational life didn't stop even for a minute. This confirms the Biblical teaching that the Church is not a building, but Christians gathered in the name of the Triune God.

Bishop Alfred Eicholtz thanked everyone for their contributions to the restoration of the cathedral. He spoke about the importance of the words of support he received at the time from various parts of the world. It wasn't just members of the ELCRK who gave offerings for the church, but many others who sympathized with them and gave what they had. Bishop Eicholtz spoke about the coins gathered by children in the congregation in Astana as a symbolic offering that was passed on at the time by Bishop Novgorodov.


The latter in his sermon said that all the participants of the restoration had received “a kiss from God” insofar as they became builders of His house. “You can build many houses, but building God's house comes around once in a lifetime.” He emphasized that the pain that brothers and sisters underwent in Bishkek was felt by the church in the whole post-Soviet territory. He gave them an altar Bible and passed on congratulations from all the Lutheran Churches that are part of the Union of Evangelical Lutheran Churches.
The celebratory events lasted from 9 in the morning to 6 in the evening with a lunch break. The congregation in Bishkek as the hosts invited the guests – more than 300 – to lunch. Hot pilaf, prepared outside over an open flame, and hot and sweet tea were ideal for the cold weather on this spring day. All the guests wished that sounds of praise and thankfulness to God would never go quiet in this building and that it become a real home for many who have found salvation there .
Former congregational members who have moved to Germany were also present at the event; among them were Woldemar Schal and the former president of the Synod Alexander Schantz. In their words of greeting they emphasized how important it is that the Lord's house be filled with people.
Eduard Penner led a group of guests from the German “Society of Evangelical Lutheran Germans from Russia.” He said that their society closely follows the developments of the church in Kyrgyzstan, and in their quarterly newsletter there is a block of news about their church. When Christians in Germany, especially those in “brother congregations,” heard about the 2015 fire, they were filled with sympathy and a desire to help. While they knew that God can certainly work in places without any walls, prayer houses are something that we people need, since they help us to come together around God's Word. Eduard Penner addressed the congregation with the wish that their building would become a place of meeting between God and man so that people could see Him there, hear Him and praise Him, and that through the Lord's Supper come into communion with the Church. He noted that the new church in Bishkek is one more piece of evidence of God's love which calls us to learn to trust God during all the stages of our lives.
Maria Lyanguzova

The Musical Offering of J.S. Bach

Moscow
On March 14 Sts Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, supported by the German Embassy, hosted a concert of the famous German organist Martin Welzel as part of the fifth “Musical Offering of J.S. Bach Festival.” The program of the concert included works by the German composers J.S. Bach, J. G. Rheinberger, M.Regera and also French masters of organ music Louis Verna and Jean Langlais.
Martin Welzel is one of the world’s foremost contemporary organists. He was born in 1972 and received his education at the Higher School of Music in Saarbrücken , then in Washington University in Seattle. He has had the opportunity to give solo concerts in Notre Dame de Paris, in St. Paul Cathedral, in Westminster Abbey in London, at the cathedral of Stanford University (USA) and many other prestigious places throughout the world. Professor Welzel also teaches at the University of Ludwig-Maximilian in Munich.
The concert was opened with words by Archbishop Dietrich Brauer and by the permanent vice-Ambassador of Germany, Beate Grzeski, who directed attention to the fact that Johann Sebastian Bach was a Lutheran and supported the Reformation and added: “in Russia there is a special appreciation of this composer. His works were performed here even at the time when they were forgotten in Western Europe.”
The Archbishop emphasized that the concert is taking place in the year of the 333 birthday of the great composer: “The language of Bach is the language of faith, the language of eternity. Therefore it is accessible and understandable for any person whose soul is directed toward Divine mystery and who longs for its presence. I express my heartfelt thanks to the German Embassy and to the wonderful organist Martin Welzel for the musical gift of this evening and also for all of you who take part in this good deed, since the funds gathered at this concert will be donated to the Carl Blume home for the elderly in the Kaliningrad oblast.”
The Carl Blume House is one of the most important diaconal projects of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia. It receives no state help and run solely on the support of donations from the church.
Many fans of organ music came to the concert; not only was the sanctuary full, the balcony was as well. Representatives of the German embassy and other invited guests were in attendance.
Julia Vinogradova

A New Bell Rings Out in Ufa

Just before the beginning of Lent, on February 13, a bell was installed in the belltower of the Lutheran church of Ufa. As congregational pastor, Heinrich Minich, reported, the bell was custom ordered at the Shuvalov Brothers' Yaroslavl Bell Factory.

Lutheran bells have somewhat different characteristics than Orthodox bells. The weight of this bell is 150 kgs and was installed by congregational members with the help of special equipment. The bell will be on an automatic ringer and manual ringing will be unnecessary. The following words are etched on the outside of the bell: “the Lord is with us until the end of the age.”
The bell was purchased with the help of the “Ural” charitable foundation headed by the former president of Bashkortostan, Murtaza Gubaidullovich Rakhimov.
Sergey Rusakov

Two Decades and Two Concerts

Berdyansk

On June 24 the congregation in Berdyansk (Zaporozhskaya obl., Ukraine) celebrated 20 years since its re-birth. On this day the celebratory worship service in the Church of Christ the Savior was led by Pastor Andrey Kuznetsov (Kiev). 10 congregational members were baptised and confirmed. Many warm words of congratulations and presents were given to the congregation by guests and friends who were not able to attend in person.

After the meal a concert of early music was performed by Andrei Pracht (harpsicord), Irina Lukyanchuk (mandolin) and Elena Richter (soprano).

That evening in the Roman Catholic Church of the Birth of the Holy Virgin Mary there was an organ concert. Elena Udras performed classical and contemporary works on the organ, including her own pieces. Both concerts were dedicated to the 500 anniversary of the Reformation.

Yuri Rykov

New Organ Makes a Joyful Noise in Petrikirche

St. Petersburg

On June 4, Pentecost, the congregational members of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral (Petrikirche) first heard their new organ. It was tuned just a few days before. Now all the time and effort searching for an appropriate instrument as well as funds for its purchase, transport and installation are in the past. The Willi Peter organ was a gift for the congregation of St. Anna and St. Peter during this 500 anniversary of the Reformation.

”Three years ago the pastor of St. Gertrude congregation in Stockholm asked me if the newest of their three organs would fit for Petrikirche,” Pastor Michael Schwartzkopf explained, “their old organ was going to return to its former place while the Willi Peter organ, given to the congregation in the 1970s, was to be put in storage.”

After getting acquainted with the instrument and making a decision about whether or not it was the best option, the process of gathering funds began. Congregational members made offerings as did friends of the congregation. But most of all the project was able to happen thanks to the agreement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany to take on the main financial burden. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and this was another source of finances. Petrkirche’s partner congregation - St. Michael's in Hamburg - made a significant contribution as well. In October 2016 St. Gertrude's congregation Stockholm began to take down the organ in order to transport it. In January 2017 the reconstruction of the organ gallery began in Petrikirche in order to prepare a place for the new instrument.

After the building was closed in 1937 the historic organ was taken away, and for many decades that space was empty. The Walker organ had been installed in St. Peter's church in 1840; it had 63 registers, three manuals and one pedalboard.  After the church's closure the organ was given to Moscow, where it was installed in the Tchaikovsky concert hall. But then in the 1950s the organ was taken apart; some of its registers remained in Moscow and the other part, having been taken to Czechoslovakia, turned up in Donetsk – then called Stalino - where the organ was installed in the regional philharmonic orchestra.

In 1997 a small, 10-register organ was installed in the altar area of Petrikirche; now it will have a worthy companion in the large Willi Peter organ (1972-73) with 43 registers and three manuals. The “new resident” of the cathedral came in April, during Easter week, and then after assembly, it was tuned by experts from the Beckerath company in Hamburg.

On July 1 the organ was officially “opened” at a concert at which two Petersburg musicians performed – the organist of Petrikirche Sergei Silaevsky and the organist of St. Catherine's Evangelical Lutheran Church Grigory Varshavsky. Now concerts of organ music will be performed in the cathedral a few times a week, while the blessing of the instrument will take place on September 28, and will be celebrate together with representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Northern Germany.

Historic organ (lost)

New organ for Petrikirche

Songs from Magadascar in the Congregation in Yaroslavl

On April 22 a long hoped-for event took place – the trip of the French-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Moscow to Yaroslavl. The youth choir prepared a special paschal program for their performance in the “kirche.”

Despite the biting cold in the church (since it is still under construction there has been no heat for many years ) the sanctuary was full. Members of the congregation came; they prepared tea and snacks for guests from the city. The vice mayor of the city, Vyacheslav Gavrilov, welcomed the guests. The choir, for their part, gave him souvenirs from Madagascar (where most of the members of the congregation are from) as a sign of thankfulness for his support. Area Dean Elena Bonderenko, Pastor Ivan Shirokov from the Yaroslavl congregation, and preachers Artis Petersons and Mamy Rakotonitama each said a few words of their own.

The choir, directed by Fara Rakoto, performed traditional French Easter hymns, Malagasi and contemporary Christian songs. The choir was accompanied by the pianist of the Moscow Protestant Congregational Jacquis Steve Andriamampiarintsoa and his spouse Farrah Ramboarifina (the director of the MPC choir) also joined the performance. On that day that French-speaking congregation took with them a new paschal candle to light it from the candle of the Yaroslavl congregation. This candle became a symbol of the light of the Gospel which believers share with one another, confirming in this way that victory of the Risen Christ.

Elena Bondarenko

The Only Kirche in Uzbekistan Awaits Restoration

Tashkent

On March 5-12, almost a year after the first visit of the vice chair of Gustov-Adolph-Werk (GAW) in Hessen-Nassau, Pastor Gerhard Hechler, to Uzbekistan in 2016, he returned to the country to visit the congregation in Tashkent. The reason for this visit was to help organize the process of restoration of the historic church building, built in 1896 according to the design of Alexander Benois. Partners from GAW and Martin Luther Bund have offered their help in this restoration project and have put the project in their catalog for 2017.

Pastor Hechler spent two Sunday services in the congregation in Tashkent. During the week there were many meetings and discussions about the upcoming restoration work. The German Embassy in the country and the Society of International Cooperation emphasized that the church is an important also as a place for ethnic Germans to come together. There are regular worship services, concerts, readings, exhibitions and other popular events that take place in the kirche.

Speaking about the possibility of expanding the musical ministry of the congregation, Pastor Hechler referred to Petrikirche in St. Petersburg where at present a new organ is being assembled. For Tashkent such a project could be bring new opportunities. However, the first order of business is to fix the roof and to replace the church windows. The roof leaks and the windows no longer protect from the cold, heat or rain; some of them are simply covered with plastic sheets.

Gerhard Hechler told congregation members that partners in Hessen have gathered the main sum of money for the windows. In Tashkent there is an ethnic German living there who is a window expert and who even before Pastor Hechler had left the country made the first commercial bid to do the work. The other good news is the restoration of the interior of the kirche has been taken on by a German company in the city that will organize the work for free or as a means of giving practice to future restorers.

On March 12 the main theme of the worship service was the projects of GAW in Lutheran churches of Central Asia – in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Preacher Ludmilla Schmidt preached in Russian and Pastor Hechler – in German. There were two baptisms on that day, the confirmation of three congregational members, and also Holy Communion with Schmidt and Hechler as co-presiders. At the conclusion of the worship service students of the local music institute gave a concert.

In the days of his visit Pastor Hechler learned about the founding of a preaching point in Buchara; they get their literature from the congregation in Tashkent.

Pastor Hechler was satisfied with his visit to Uzbekistan and is sure that he will come again soon - “We are on a good path, both with restoration of the church and with the church's ministry.”

Gerhard Hechler

The Long-Awaited Organ Arrives!

St. Petersburg

The Walker organ of the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul was lost at the end of the 1930s; now it has been replaced with a Willi Peter organ that had previously been in use from 1973 to 2016 in St. Gertrude's church in Stockholm.

The parts for the new organ were brought on April 21 and 22, and on April 25 experts from the Becker Company in Hamburg began their work on installation. The plan was that the organ installation should be finished by June 8 with the first concert planned for July 1.

Gerhart Reutter

Moments of Silence in Petrikirche

St. Petersburg

On April 6, the third day of mourning for victims of the terrorist attack in the St. Petersburg subway, there was a concert at Sts. Peter and Paul Сhurch - “The World of the Cantatas of J.S. Bach.” This joint German-Russian musical project – one of the highlights of the 14th annual Week of Germany in St. Petersburg – gathered no fewer than 400 guests to the Lutheran Cathedral. After the completion of the restoration of the organ gallery this concert was the first event in the building of Petrikirche.

At the opening of the concern Pastor Michael Schwarzkopf spoke about how he had just returned from an event of public mourning at the “Technologichesky Institute” subway station. There representatives of all Christian confessions and various other religions had gathered together with representatives of the government in order to state their common opposition to terrorism.

Everyone at the church rose for a minute of silence.

The well-known “Reformation Cantata” of Bach (based on the text of Martin Luther's «Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott») was performed; this piece was, without a doubt, a special gift to the Lutheran church from the project planners during this, the 500 anniversary of the Reformation.

Reconstruction of the Organ Gallery in Petrikirche

St. Petersburg

On Sunday, January 29, everyone who came into Petrikirche was taken by surprise – the worship service was held not in the sanctuary, but in the chapel...with the building's entry way acting as overflow space for this worship service with Holy Communion. “We feel especially close to one another today in this tight space, taking Communion together in this small circle from the hands of our pastor, Michael Schwarzkopf, and our intern Judith Schaefer,” said congregations after the service.

The sanctuary was closed for two and half months. The reason for this? The exciting development of preparing a place for the new, large organ that was soon to arrive. The construction work was centered particularly on preparing the organ gallery while the rest of the sanctuary's decorations and instruments were carefully covered in order not to suffer from the construction dust.

You can read more about the organ in news articles from later in the year.

A Prayer Shawl and Other Surprises

Belleuve, Washington, USA
  My visit to Grace Lutheran Church in Belleuve (Washington, USA) was almost spontaneous. For many years the congregation has maintained a partner relationship with our St. Anna's and Peter's Church in St. Petersburg. After a few unsuccessful attempts in May of this year I was able to take part in a conference in San Francisco related to my professional work, and from there to Seattle / Belleuve, it is not far at all. Our partner congregation had very little time to prepare for my visit, but that made it all the more interesting – I had the chance to have quite a few meetings and events and we came to important agreements. 

  On Sunday May 8th when I visited the congregation it was Mother's Day in the United States. I was rather skeptical of this holiday – I thought of it as just another way greeting card companies increase their sales; on this day many people preferred to be with their families rather than coming to church, but there were still around 30 people at worship, which is not so few for Grace Lutheran. There were many surprises waiting for me; one of them was the blessing of quilts, which are made by hand by a group in the congregation and then sent as gifts to homeless shelters. These quilts are also given as a sign of warm care on the part of the congregation for those young people who were leaving to study in college. One of the members of the quilting group really wanted to send at least a small quilt to Russia with us, but we stopped her in time – it wouldn't have fit in our luggage. But all the same her generous nature didn't allow her to gift up; she found among her materials a “prayer shawl”- a beautiful, soft, hand-made scarf that was given to me as a present. Another surprise was that on that day the pastor of the congregation, Veronica Smith, was supposed to give birth to her baby; everything was planned so that, in the case of the pastor's absence, congregation members could lead the service themselves. But the baby wasn't rushing things, so Pastor Veronica was able to lead the service until the end and remained for the traditional coffee time afterwards. Many congregational members stayed to hear me tell about our congregation and our project of trying to raise money for the installation of an organ. The conclusion of this discussion was summed up by Pastor Veronica: “We'll full dedicate our traditional fall auction to your project;” moreover the congregation gave a significant monetary gift to the project right away. 
  During our discussions it became clear that the problems of this American congregation are similar to the problems of our congregation in Petersburg. There are very few people there right now with children and youth who attend Sunday services. For that reason a few of the rooms that previously had been occupied by the Sunday school are now being rented out to a kindergarten. I really hope that our partnership can help our congregations develop. For example I would be very happy to learn from the Americans how they together with a few other congregations of various denominations in their city were able to create a service of assistance for the homeless. For one month every church provides space for the homeless to sleep in at night. They can only be there from 7 in the evening to 7 in the morning. In the daytime there is a rehabilitation program which helps with training, job searching and adaptation. The other project that interested me was the psychological service of the church. This region-wide church program works in the following way: congregations provide the space for the consultant, while the psychological service provides training and support for church counselors. 
  I made two important acquaintances on this trip. The first was with Eva Mader and her family. Throughout the years Eva has been the main link between our congregation and the congregation in Bellevue. For family reasons Eva was not able to spend much time with me, but handed me over to an elderly couple – Judy and Howard Johnson. Now I know that in Bellevue I have a number of good friends; they organized for me two days of real relaxation and with great hospitality and friendliness they invited me not only to stay at their house, but also to take part in family events. I hope very much that Eva will be able to come to Petersburg this fall, where I will be waiting for my new friends from Bellevue.
Vlad Bukhtoyarov 

St. John's Church Re-opens Its Doors

Grodno, Belarus

 At the end of May the interior renovations at St. John's Lutheran in Grodno were completed. A year earlier the exterior of the kirche was restored and a 16-meter spire was installed. Now the interior of the building and the exterior are equally beautiful. 
  Since the completion of restoration work, worship services and concerts in the building have begun again. The first of this season was held on June 3, when the German organist Anna Horsch gave a concert of European composers. This concert was part of the city's annual festival of national cultures. For the first time in the long history of this festival St. John's congregation was able to take part in the official program of events. 
  Now the Grodno Lutherans plan to use historic photographs to make new copies of the stain-glass windows that were originally in the kirche and install them behind the altar. The income from organ concerts will go towards this project. The congregation is also planing to add exterior lighting on the facade of the church. The German ambassador in Belarus has promised to help with the restoration of the tower clock. It should be in working order by the time the world celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation next year. 

International Festival of Organ Music in Odessa

Odessa, Ukraine
  On May 22 St. Paul's Cathedral flung open its doors for participants in the 6th International Festival of Organ Music. The long-time organizer of the festival and organist in the kirche, Veronica Struk, welcomed everyone at the festival's opening. 
The festival is named for Theophil Richter, the father of the famous pianist Svyatoslav Richter, whose talent as organist was displayed in the walls of St. Paul's Cathedral 100 years earlier. 75 years ago a tragic event occurred – the Lutheran church's organist was arrested and then executed.
  After initial greetings, the musical part of the festival began with the performance of a string quartet - “The Harmony of Peace” - which is famous in Ukraine and beyond for their performances of music in various styles, from boroque to modern, including their own arrangements of melodies from the 1930s and 40s. 

Festival of Denominational Choirs

Moscow, Russia
On April 10th Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral hosted the 1st Festival of Denominational Choirs. This event became a part of the 3rd Moscow Inter-Christian Easter Celebrations. 
  12 choirs took part. Spiritual and folk music filled the cathedral, which was overflowing with visitors. The concert came to a close with music by a bell choir; this was the first time many people had head a bell choir, and it was unforgettable. 

  The audience had the joy to hear: the Younger Choir of the N.A. Alekseeva Music School; the “Unforgettable Light” men's choir, the choir of the Moscow missionary committee (Russian Orthodox), the “Ringel” Jewish women's choirc, the choir of the Roman Catholic cathedral, the Chapel Choir of the Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Cathedral “Lux Mundi,” the “Ovsana” and “Norayrash” choirs of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the free choir of the Baptist church, the Goethe Institute Academic Choir and the choir of hand bells of the musical department of the Union of Baptists. 

Happy Day in Tomsk

Tomsk, Russia
  On February 27th the foreign members of the congregation in Tomsk took part in the annual Festival of Non-secular Music “Oikumena.” It was dedicated to the annual Worldwide Week for Inter-religious Relationships which was founded by the UN General Assembly in 2010. Alfa Edison Ilela, Richardo Alexander Nunumete, Rafael Patuan Siahim, Giapfy Iboa Ebinizer performed the song “Oh, Happy Day!”
  Since 2010 these young people have attended the Tomsk congregation and frequently bring joy to the worship service with their songs.  Alfa and Richardo (from Indonesia) are graduate students at the Tomsk Politech University, Rafael is also from Indonesia and he and Giapfy (from Giana) are in the bachelor's degree program at the same university. These young men are the core of the youth ministry of the congregation and take part in all congregational events. 
  Vitaly Schmidt

Spiritual Music on a New Instrument

Ufa,Russia
   On Pentecost Sunday, May 15th, the Ufa Lutheran Church hosted a concert of spiritual music. It so happened that just a few days before the holy day a new organ arrived in the church from St. Petersburg; the organist for the charity concert was Maestro Vladislav Murtazin, a famous organist from Bashkortostan.
  The concert, which was held right after Sunday service, was attended by citizens of Ufa from all (or no) religious traditions. Before the performance of the famous organist, the children's assemble of ancient music “The Magic Flute” demonstrated their skills; later they placed together with Vladislav Murtazin. 

  The congregation's members express their thanks to their sponsors – the “Ural” charity fund and its president Murtaze Rakhimov and the city parliament member Iosif Marach for their help in securing the purchase of this musical instrument. 

  Sergei Rusakov

"Reformation Cantata" in Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral

Moscow
  As part of the “Cranach Family: between Renaissance and Mannerism” exhibit 
being hosted at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Art in Moscow from March until May, the General Consulate of Germany organized a unique concert in the Lutheran Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul. On April 18th J.S. Bach's “Reformation Cantata” (BWV 80) was given a rare performance in Russia. 
  The Cantata, composed around 1730, was performed by famous musicians – international award winner Konstantine Volostnov (organ), soloists of the Moscow “Helikon-Opera” theater Alisa Gitsba and Michael Davidov, soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of the Moscow Conservatory Maria Chelmakina and Taras Yasenkov, the Tula State Choir, and the State Assemble of Soloists “Orpharion.” The director was Alexander Solovyev.
  One of the unique parts of the “Reformation Cantata” was that it includes four lines of Martin Luther's famous song  «Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott» (“A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”) 
 A special guest at the concert was the Minister-President of Thuringia Bodo Romelow, who was in Russia on an official visit. He gave a word of greeting, as did the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Rüdiger von Fritsch and Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia Dietrich Brauer. 

Based on material from   http://www.germania.diplo.de/

Ambassador Rüdiger von Fritsch, Archbishop Dietrich Brauer, and President-Minister Bardo Romelow