Photini Downie Robinson earned her degree in Vocal Performance from the DePauw University School of Music in 1998 and has been singing professionally ever since. An affinity for early music led her career through Renaissance polyphony, Baroque chamber music, oratorio, and eventually into the highly specialized niche of Byzantine Chant and the musical traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Passionate about all things liturgical, she served as a staff singer in various faith traditions until she was received into Orthodoxy in 2015. She has learned from the most highly respected leaders and scholars of our generation: Dr. Alexander Lingas, John Michael Boyer, Fr. Ivan Moody, Dr. Achilleas Chaldæakes, Stelios Kontakiotis, Fr. Romanos Karanos, Fr. John Rassem El Massih, and Benedict Sheehan. She is one of the leading advocates for integrating women into the classical tradition of the Psaltic Art and is deeply committed to the education and support of all aspiring chanters.

Photini began her career in Cincinnati, Ohio as an artist with the Vocal Arts Ensemble before moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2002. She has appeared with nearly every professional ensemble in the region: Cappella Romana, the Saint Tikhon Choir, Resonance Ensemble, Cantores in Ecclesia, Trinity Chamber Singers, In Mulieribus, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and the Third Angle New Music Ensemble. Formerly a multi-genre crossover artist, Photini has chosen to dedicate her career to the enhancement of Orthodox liturgical life through her music ministry. She was formally tonsured into the office of Cantor in 2022 by His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco (GOA) and is in national demand as a cantor, teacher, ensemble artist, writer, speaker, and workshop facilitator.

Photini is the Protopsaltria at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Portland, Oregon (USA) where she co-directs the music ministry and assists with pastoral care. She is a touring artist with world-renowned vocal ensemble Cappella Romana and has served on their Board of Directors. She is on the faculty of the Artefact Institute and the Saint John Koukouzelis Institute of Liturgical Arts and is always looking for opportunities to connect and collaborate. Photini is currently pursuing a Master of Theological Studies at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary in Brookline, MA. She holds a Certificate in Byzantine Music from HCHC, having earned the highest distinction of Άριστα (Excellent). She is a recipient of the 2023 James J. Tembelis Scholarship, awarded by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.