Publisher Desc.  Kurt Sander (b. 1969) is a Midwest-based composer of works in a variety of genres, whose conversion to the Orthodox faith has led him to compose many works based on Eastern Orthodox liturgical texts. A number of these pieces are featured on the CD As Far as the East Is from the West, by the East/West Festival Chorale, Peter Jermihov, cond. (Musica Russica cat. No. I-101). Sander's writing incorporates some of the finest sonorous traditions of Russian choral composers, from the Moscow-School masters to Sviridov, yet it is unmistakably contemporary. His setting of the Hymn to the Theotokos from the Liturgy of St. Basil combines moments of intimate lyric tenderness with passages of mighty grandeur, as befits this rich and profound text. Suitable for Christmas and general anthem use.(Recorded by Archangel Voices on their CD, Panagia: Hymns to the Most Holy Mother of God, release date: November 2013)