The male choir of the Optina Pustyn Monastery Department in St. Petersburg was established in 1996 with the blessing of its Father Superior, Hieromonach Rostislav. The choir consists of between six and nine professional singers, who are all graduates of the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. The main goal for the formation of the choir was the cultivation of the heritage of the old Russian Church singing, its sources, and different styles. The repertoire of the choir, however, reaches beyond the purely ancient repertoire and represents the great riches and variety of the Russian clerical as well as secular choral art. After two decades of creative activity, the choir has become a permanent participant in many Russian and international festivals, playing up to a hundred concerts a year.