4th Annual Public Lecture and Concert Series

The Choir School: Formative Agent of Future Church Music

Our 4th season of the Public Lecture and Concert Series kicks off with a visionary lecture by the Madeleine Choir School’s Founding Director, Mr. Gregory Glenn.

In this presentation, we will briefly explore the past contributions of choir schools to the Church’s sacred liturgy over the centuries, consider the role that choir schools play today in the worship and pastoral life of the Cathedrals or other communities they serve, and the crucial agency they enact in the formation of future conductors, composers, organists, choristers, and more. More broadly, these schools, once dubbed “the envy of the angels,” serve the community in many ways beyond the realm of sacred music as institutions that shape the lives of young people for leadership and engagement in the mission of the Catholic Church. The essential elements observed in existing schools, as well as the challenges that contribute to the fragility of such institutions, will also be considered.

In-person and online live via streaming. A reception follows the in-person event.

The Office of the Dead in the Dominican Liturgy

Lecture by Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P.

From the time of their foundation in the 13th century, Dominican friars have been committed to praying for the dead, commemorating deceased friars and sisters, parents, friends, and benefactors in annual, weekly, and daily cycles of prayers. When forming the Dominican rite in the mid-13th century, the Order of Preachers fashioned a particular version of the Office of the Dead that arranged traditional chants and prayers in a distinctive order. In this presentation, we will explore the texts and chants of the Dominican Office of the Dead, considering the relationship of these texts to the Church’s broader liturgical tradition.

Jornada de Estudio de Música Sacra

¡Íntegramente en español!

Este evento incluirá:

• Ensayos con música que podrán llevar a sus parroquias
• Aprender música para cantar juntos 
• Talleres en técnica vocal saludable
• Misa solemne, celebrada por Su Excelencia, Salvatore J. Cordileone
• Catequesis sobre la música sacra en la vida espiritual
• El sacramento de la confesión
• Almuerzo, refrigerios y convivencia con músicos locales

Este encuentro está especialmente dirigido a:

• Directores de música parroquial
• Miembros de coros parroquiales
• Cantores
• Clérigos

Cantantes y directores de música de todos los niveles encontrarán este evento enriquecedor y valioso.

New this Fall:

CISM’s Chorister Program for Young Singers

Are you looking for a positive, fun, and joyful environment for your student to pray, learn his or her Catholic faith, develop musical talents, meet great friends, and develop virtues such as patience and resiliency?

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music Chorister Program is committed to inspiring young singers through a comprehensive program that emphasizes musical excellence and spiritual growth. Our mission is to cultivate a love for sacred music, guiding young voices to reach their full potential while instilling values of discipline, teamwork, and artistic expression.

Open to all students ages 8–17, the Chorister Program offers weekly training in:

Monday Online Workshops – Fall 2025

Vocal Technique for Changing Voices

Topic #2 of Fall 2025 Workshop Series

Mondays, Nov. 17, 24, Dec. 1 – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PST

Discover how to keep boys singing as their voices deepen through effective pedagogy and an understanding of the physiological elements of the changing voice.

Instructor: Dr. Geoffrey D. Williams
Live via Zoom

An Amazing Summer 2025!

Wonderful students, fantastic speakers, excellent faculty, hundreds of guests
Praying, learning, singing—all for the glory of God!

From the Director’s Desk

Feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim, 2025

Dear friends of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music,

Thank you for being part of an amazing summer 2025 here at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. It’s not yet over, but I wanted to write to you with an update.

We welcomed hundreds of guests here at the beginning of the month for the inaugural Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit. Anchored by the celebration of solemn pontifical Masses and Vespers, celebrated by Cardinals Sarah and O’Malley, Archbishop Cordileone, Bishops Fernandes and Barber, and Abbots Benedict Nivakoff and Marc Crilly, participants encountered God’s presence in sacred liturgies celebrated with utmost care, reverence, and beauty. CISM provided music for each of the liturgies with its all-professional choir, drawn from students and colleagues across the U.S. and directed by Prof. Berry and Dr. Donelson-Nowicka. We heard fantastic talks from over a dozen leading prelates, theologians, and artists, and we developed friendships and collegiality over meals and working sessions.  Stay tuned for the book-format publication of the Summit’s addresses!

Earlier in the summer, CISM provided music for the Artists Retreat of the Benedict XVI Institute, held here on the campus of St. Patrick’s Seminary. Our musicians sang and played music by Fauré, Charpentier, Hassler, Peeters, and Josquin, of course as well as all of the Gregorian chant propers, and some lovely English chant adaptations for Vespers by Dr. Richard Skirpan.

Our summer graduate session moved into full-swing following the Summit with 9 classes in 3 weeks. Students in the Choral Institute sang the Gregorian propers for Mass, two motets per day, a Mass by du Mont, the Byrd Mass for Four Voices, the Rheinberger Mass in E-flat (JWV57), as well as Gregorian Vespers and English Morning Prayer under the direction of Prof. Christopher Berry and Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka. Composition Seminar students, under the tutelage of Dr. Frank La Rocca studied species counterpoint, and shared their own compositions with each other throughout the week, with all students hearing their compositions rendered by the Choral Institute students at the end of the week. Dr. Christoph Tietze‘s Organ Improvisation class improvised processional music for Mass and vespers, antiphon and hymn incipits, as well as an improvised accompaniment to the Mass in the First Royal Tone of Henri du Mont. We welcomed the Knights and Dames of Malta, along with many other guests for the final Mass of the week.

In the second week of classes, Introduction to Gregorian Chant students, taught by Dr. Donelson-Nowicka, developed their abilities to sing, teach, and direct music for Mass, focusing on Mass XI (Orbis factor) and the Gregorian propers of the Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart, while also learning to sing Lauds in English-language adaptations of chant. In Organ Literature, taught by Prof. Christopher Berry, students covered the monuments of the organ repertoire with a special focus on the development of organ building techniques which buttressed developments in repertory, as well as understanding this music in the context of the Catholic liturgical services. In Vocal Pedagogy, taught by Prof. Sandra Bengochea, students received in-depth instruction on the anatomy and physiology of the vocal tract, and discussed teaching techniques which build healthy technique, as well as those approaches which are detrimental to the voice. On Wednesday evening, some of our students were invited to sing for a solemn Mass on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at the Carmelite Monastery of Cristo Rey in San Francisco. Afterward we enjoyed a meal at nearby Star of the Sea parish before heading back to the seminary to get some sleep for another great day of classes.

The final week’s classes included Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children, in which students learned to teach the first level of the Ward method with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, concluding the week with a 5th teaching demonstration by students before they headed home to finish their final projects. Two fantastic seminars in chant also filled the hallways with singing. Dr. Charles Weaver‘s seminar on the modes and hexachordal solfège had students practicing the Guidonian hand all week, both in chant and polyphonic practice, as well as looking at some of the complexities of understanding modality in the Gregorian repertoire. Dr. Joseph Dyer‘s seminar on Old Roman Chant drew together historical and manuscript studies, as well as secondary literature, in understanding theories of transmission of repertoire and the relationship of the “Old Roman” repertoire to the Gregorian. Students enjoyed preparing a sung Mass for the feast of St. James, featuring music from the Codex Calixtinus, and are now at home wrapping up final projects, papers, and exams in the next weeks.

We are now in the final stages of preparation for the launch of CISM’s Chorister Program. The program launches with an August 4–8 Chant Camp in which we’ll welcome 80 young singers to campus for a week of sung Masses, catechesis, vocal training, and fun! We will soon be posting the registration page for the academic-year chorister program, which starts Tuesday, September 9th.

Major Announcements of the Summer

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music was thrilled to announce, earlier this summer, the appointment of Christopher Berry as Assistant Professor of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University. Berry will also serve as Organist and Director of Sacred Music at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park, California, and as the Director of CISM’s newly-founded Chorister Program for young singers in grades 3+. Please join us in welcoming Professor Berry and his family to California!

We have also recently welcomed to our staff Sr. Mary Vianney Owens, who will serve as Program Associate and Assistant to the Director. Welcome, Sister!

We are also thrilled to announce the new Master of Sacred Music (MSM) degree program and Post-baccalaureate Certificates in Gregorian Chant and Sacred Choral Music, starting summer 2026, pending accreditation approval from WSCUC. We will have much more information forthcoming about these programs soon. Please stay tuned!

Additionally, we have marked many of the dates for the huge list of 2025–2026 offerings, both online and in-person, on our calendar, and we’ll be publishing more details on workshops, public lectures, and concerts in August. Check out our calendar here.

I hope to see you sometime soon at one of the many offerings of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music!

Finally, please know that we count on your prayers and support! Please pray that our work continue to grow and flourish, supporting musicians all over the world in their work of singing to the praise and glory of God almighty, and redounding to the sanctification and edification of souls.

All for the praise of His glory!
Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, Director

**NEW Degree and Certificate Programs!

CISM Welcomes Prof. Christopher Berry in Move to Menlo Park

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music Announces Christopher Berry Hired as Assistant Professor at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University, and as Director of Chorister Program

Menlo Park, CA – May 17, 2025 – The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music (CISM) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Christopher Berry as Assistant Professor of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University. Berry will also serve as Organist and Director of Sacred Music at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park, California, and as the Director of CISM’s newly-founded Chorister Program for young singers in grades 3+. He joins a world-class roster of faculty, including Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, CISM’s founding director, as well as adjunct faculty such as Dr. Frank La Rocca, Dr. Charles Weaver, Dr. Christoph Tietze, Dr. Edward Schaefer, and Dr. Joseph Dyer, all outstanding experts in their respective fields.

A distinguished musician, Christopher Berry brings a wealth of experience in organ performance, choral conducting, and Gregorian chant to his new roles. With a career molded by studies under renowned mentors such as Jesse Eschbach, James Higdon, Marie-Claire Alain, Andrew Megill, and Simon Carrington, Berry has earned international recognition, including a Premier Prix from the conservatory of Rueil-Malmaison in Paris. His deep knowledge of early music and chant, born out of work at the Paris Conservatory, has profoundly influenced his approach to sacred music.

Berry’s extensive conducting experience includes leading choirs at iconic venues such as St. Peter’s Basilica, Canterbury Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey. As Director of Music at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, he made a commercial recording and conducted an historic concert in the Sistine Chapel. After redefining a model music program for the Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee, Berry moved to St. Stanislaus Oratory, where the music program for the parish flourished with new ensembles and a chorister program grounded in traditional principles of chant and polyphony. While developing choirs at St. Stanislaus and at various summer conferences, he taught as Professor of Organ at Carthage College and University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

“We are delighted to welcome Christopher Berry to the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary,” said Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, professor of sacred music and director of CISM. “His extraordinary talent, dedication to sacred music, and proven ability to develop excellent choirs and organists make him an ideal director for our Chorister Program, an inspiring leader for the development of the sacred music program at the vibrant Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park, and a vital year-round addition to our faculty.”

At the Church of the Nativity, Berry will oversee the sacred music program, enriching liturgical celebrations with his expertise in organ performance and choral direction. As director of CISM’s Chorister Program, he will guide young singers in developing their musical and spiritual formation, fostering a deep appreciation for the Church’s sacred music tradition.

Christopher Berry – Biography 

In June 2025, Christopher Berry joins the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music (CISM) as Assistant Professor of Sacred Music. Berry will also serve as Organist and Director of Sacred Music at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park, California, and as the Director of CISM’s newly-founded Chorister Program for young singers in grades 3+.

Christopher Berry’s international career as an organist began in 1993, when he served as an organist for the final liturgy of World Youth Day, presided over by Pope St. John Paul II. Since then, he has performed concerts throughout the United States and Europe, including Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Italy, France, and Poland. His performance venues have included Notre Dame Cathedral, La Madeleine, and St. Sulpice, Paris; St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague; and St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

Read more about Prof. Berry here.

Catch up on Our Podcast!

We’re nearing the end of Season 7, and we’ve surpassed 100 episodes of wisdom, scholarly insight, and practical advice about the Church’s sacred music. 

Check out our latest season:

• Episode 1 – Building a Great School & Parish Sacred Music Program in a Rural Community – with Kelsey LaCour
• Episode 2 – How Did the Parts of the Mass Ordinary Get Arranged into Groups in the Kyriale? – with Dr. Andrew Kirkman
• Episode 3 – Singing the Credo: Historical Origins and Development – with Dr. Harrison Russin
• And more!

You can listen on your favorite app and subscribe to the show!

The podcast is distributed via Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean.

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music commends the soul of treasured faculty member, Dr. William Mahrt, to the hands and mercy of God. Beloved by students and colleagues alike, he will surely be missed. We are grateful for our time with him, and all he taught us will remain in our souls, minds, and hearts. May he rest in peace!

Read about Dr. Mahrt’s remarkable life and work here in his obituary.

Scenes from Summer Study at CISM

Missed an Event?

Check out a video archive of our previous events.