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.

Go to the Summit this Summer!

July 1–4, 2025 | St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, California

The Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit gathers together Catholics who love Christ, the Church, and the Church’s sacred liturgical tradition for: 

• the solemn celebration of the Mass and Vespers;  
• insightful talks on the sacred liturgy, liturgical formation, and the sacred liturgical arts; 
• and fellowship to build fraternal bonds through which the clergy, religious, and lay faithful can support the Church and one another in their promotion of the sacred liturgy. 

Music at the Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit will be provided by a 16-voice professional choir of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music, under the direction of Prof. Christopher Berry and Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, joined by organist Dr. Aaron James. 

2025 Sacred Music Study Day

Study Day Success! See you again next year!

Catch up on Our Podcast!

In the thick of season 7, we’re nearing 100 episodes of wisdom, scholarly insight, and practical advice about the Church’s sacred music. 

Check out our latest episodes:

• 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.

A Fantastic Summer 2024!

From Our Director’s Desk

Dear friends of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music,

It was a tremendous second summer term here at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music!

From our over 200 applicants, we were able to offer enrollment to over 90 students in our 9 filled-to-capacity courses.

Students in History and Principles of Sacred Music took a deep dive into the Church’s treasury of sacred music, from its roots in Jewish tradition and patristic application of ideas from classical antiquity, through to the modern repertory and legislative documents. Student teachers tackled the first level of the Ward Method in our Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children Course, offering great teaching demos every day of the class. Singers in Introduction to Gregorian Chant received a systematic overview of the spirituality, genres, and rhetorical style of chant, and the elements of a fully sung Mass, while intensively studying neumes and chant modality and the rhythmic approach of Dom Mocquereau. Participants sang and conducted three pieces of chant on their own for the final exam, and the week concluded with the class singing a Votive Mass of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Dr. William Mahrt presented an insightful overview of the style, structure, and Chants of the Mass Proper, while Dr. Charles Weaver helped students navigate the most important source manuscripts, along with their different styles of notation and implications for rhythm in chant. The 34 singers in our Choral Institute sang daily Lauds, Mass, and Vespers under the direction of Prof. Christopher Berry and Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, with the week culminating in singing Palestrina’s Missa Æterna Christi Munera and Howells’ Mass in the Dorian Mode, alongside motets from the five composers in Dr. Frank La Rocca’s Composition Seminar. The term finished out with a fruitful dialogue of the chant performance practice approaches of Eugène Cardine (Semiology, taught by Dr. Edward Schaefer) and Dom Mocquereau (Chironomy), including a sung Mass on Thursday morning of the courses featuring singing in both styles.

We can’t wait to share with you some wonderful photographs, audio, and video from the summer, and we’re already looking ahead to Summer 2025!

Please join us this academic year 2024-25 at our workshops, conferences, lectures, and concerts. Spots fill quickly—join our mailing list here so you don’t miss out on anything!

Please remember us, our students, and our work in your prayers! All for the praise of His glory!

In the heart of Our Lady,
Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, Director

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