Matushka Sophia grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and discovered the Orthodox Church during her undergraduate studies at St. John’s College (Santa Fe, NM), where she was baptized her freshman year at a nearby Antiochian parish, Holy Trinity Orthodox Church.
After graduating with a B.A. in Liberal Arts, she enrolled in St. Vladimir’s Seminary, where she earned an M.A. in Theological Studies. While in seminary, Sophia studied liturgical music under the tutelage of Professors David Drillock, Helen Erickson, and Mark Bailey and regularly directed the seminary mixed choir. She spent summers interning with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. It was also in seminary where she and Fr. Kirill met and were married, devoting many years to the campus community.
In 2010, the Sokolovs moved back to the Bay Area to be closer to family. While attending St. Nicholas Church in San Anselmo, CA, Sophia joined the choir directing team under the leadership of renowned musician Archpriest Stephan Meholick.
In 2018, when Fr. Kirill was appointed dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Matushka Sophia leaned into the life of the cathedral parish while also finishing up her studies in nursing. Earning both a BSN and MSN from San Francisco State, Matushka Sophia works as a school nurse at a local middle school. She also works regularly with the Department of Liturgical Music and Translations of the Orthodox Church in America, typesetting and arranging music for distribution throughout the Church.
In June 2023, His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin appointed Matushka Sophia as Choir Director of Holy Trinity Cathedral. She joins a long and distinguished line of directors beginning with the Reader Vasily Shishkin in 1868 to, most recently, Reader Stephen (Robert Allen) Parent, who nurtured this role from 1977-2023 (Read the full history of HTC choir directors here). She is the first woman to lead the Cathedral choir and looks forward to leading the wonderful singers who volunteer their time and talent to “make a joyful noise to the Lord.”
The choir of Holy Trinity adorns the services of the Cathedral with prayerful voices. If you are interested in this deeply meaningful ministry of sacred song, please speak with Matushka.