August 3, 2026
Summer Ferial Day
Deo gratias, this summer at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music was truly momentous. We welcomed to campus nearly eighty graduate students, including eighteen students enrolled in the new Master of Sacred Music degree and Post-Baccalaureate Certificates. Our students came from a wide geographic range, united by their Catholic faith and their desire to grow as Christians, musicians, teachers, conductors, players, and program directors. It was a privilege to meet and work with each person, unique in the eyes of God, and seeking to offer all that they have and are to the service of the worship of God.
Each day was framed by sung Mass in the morning and sung Vespers in the evening, along with shared meals and time for fellowship in the evenings and on weekends.
Week one featured History and Principles of Sacred Music. The students prepared extensive readings and lecture videos before arriving on campus to read Church documents together and discuss the lived application of the Church’s teachings with Dr. Donelson-Nowicka. Students of Gregorian semiology studied repertoire and neumes with Dr. Edward Schaefer and vocal technique with Dr. Rosemary Heredos.
During week two, participants in the Liturgical Theology course discussed various themes with Fr. Nicholas Schneider, including: Logos, symbol, sacrament, Scripture, sacred time, sacred place, the altar, images, gestures, participation, and inculturation. Students in Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children took a deep dive into the first level of Ward Method music instruction, giving teaching demonstrations each day, and heading home to prepare further demonstrations for their final exam.
The third week emphasized the native musical language of the Roman rite, Gregorian chant. Students studied the fundamentals of chant through solfèging, singing, and conducting according to the method of Dom André Mocquereau in class with Dr. Donelson-Nowicka, and at the organ, pupils of Organ Accompaniment of Chant worked with Dr. Christopher Berry to create well-voiced and supportive sounds on the organ for singing. The week opened with a Mass preached by Archbishop Cordileone, who reminded students about the need for spiritual growth and a strong prayer life in order to become holy and truly to serve God and His Holy Church.
During week four we welcomed our twelve McInnes Fellows, alongside twenty Choral Fellows and other students for our fourty-four-voice Choral Institute which sang daily Lauds, Mass, and Vespers, including the Anerio Requiem and the Rheinberger Cantus Missæ, alongside 2 daily motets, chant ordinaries, and chant propers. Five composers formed a collective, studying counterpoint under the tutelage of Dr. Frank La Rocca and Mark Nowakowski. Their compositions on Marian Advent and Christmas texts were recorded on Friday evening by the McInnes Fellows. Six students grew in their skills of organ improvisation under the fantastic improviser and former master of music at Westminster Cathedral, Martin Baker. Their improvisations adorned the beginning and end of Masses and Vespers, as well as provided intonatios for the chant antiphons of Vespers. During the week, we welcomed Dr. Bissera Pentcheva (Stanford) to campus for a lecture about music and ritual surrounding Sainte-Foy at the Camino church of Conques, and Dr. Daniel Kuehler, assistant professor of piano at Hillsdale College and student in the Counterpoint class, played an all-Brahms recital for the entire student body.
Week five wrapped up with foundational conducting and rehearsal skills with Dr. Berry in Choral Preparation. Students in the advanced seminars in Gregorian chant studied 10th- to 13th-century manuscripts, along with their different orthographies and implications for style with Dr. Alison Altstatt. On Friday, they sang from original manuscripts at the Stanford music library. Students in the Cantare super librum class with Dr. Charles Weaver improvised polyphony from chant scores, including a hymn at Vespers, with a different style each evening.
This week we welcome to campus nearly eighty young singers, ages eight to eighteen, for Chant Camp, including a sung Mass on Friday, with a pizza and ice cream party to follow!
We can’t wait until next summer! In the meantime, check out the course line-up, available on our “Summer Courses” page. Applications for the MSM degree, certificate programs in Gregorian Chant or Sacred Choral Music, and for non-degree-seeking students seeking just to take a class or few open in October. Our new semester begins in just a few weeks, and students in our MSM and certificate programs will begin voice lessons and weekly online meetings.
We have a LOT planned for the upcoming academic year, including many online offerings, and in-person events throughout the United States. Check out the “Calendar” page for some save-the-dates, with registration pages to follow within the next two weeks. Here’s a short highlights list with a “sneak peek”!
August
- Chorister Program for young singers begins August 25th, including a new program for 5 to 7 year olds – at St. Patrick’s Seminary
September
- Building from Square (Note) One – Understanding Church Teaching on Sacred Music and Transforming Your Parish Music Program (Sept. 21, 28, Oct. 5, 12) – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka online
- Spanish Workshop #1 – “Descifrando el código musical: Una guía básica de la notación cuadrada y moderna” (Sept. 19, 26, Oct. 3, 10) – with José Ballon online
October
- Missa Sancti Juniperi Serra (by Frank La Rocca), Mass for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. and Mission San Francisco – with Archbishop Cordileone at Mission Dolores (Oct. 10), music directed by Drs. Berry and Donelson-Nowicka
- Sacred Music Leadership Summit: Transform Your Catholic Parish or School Music Program – CISM at Franciscan University of Steubenville (Oct. 16–17) – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
- Catholic Funerals: Implementing and Singing Sacred Music (Oct. 19, 26) – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka online
- Sacred Music Stockton – St. Mary’s Church in Oakdale, California (Oct. 23–24) – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
- Jornada de Estudio de Música Sacra (Sacred Music Study Day in Spanish) – St. Patrick’s Seminary (Oct. 31)
November
- Lecture and sacred music workshop – Ave Maria University and Parish (Nov. 6–7) – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
- Three Different Approaches to Gregorian Rhythm and How to Sing Them (Nov. 9, 16, 23) – with Dr. Charles Weaver online
January
- Spanish Workshop #2 – ¡Desarrolla la voz que Dios te ha dado! Aprende a respirar mejor, cantar afinadamente, ampliar tu extensión vocal e interpretar música más exigente (Jan. 30, Feb. 6, 13) – with Prof. Sandra Bengochea online
February
- Chant East and West – online conference of CISM and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary (Feb. 5–6) online
April
- Sacred Music Workshop – St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka (Apr. 2, 3)
June
- Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit (June 1–4) – St. Patrick’s Seminary
- Sacred Music Workshop for Catholic School Music Teachers, Pastors, and Administrators, CISM with Pueri Cantores (June 14–18), St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, Maryland
- Summer courses start June 28
Our Lady keep you as you strive with God’s grace to become a “Praise of His Glory”!
Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
Director, Catholic Institute of Sacred Music
