Archived Access to “The Beauty of the Sung Mass”
We are happy to offer you archived access to a recording of the first lecture on our public lecture and concert series.
Summer Application Available!
We are excited to be able to begin accepting applications for our Summer 2023 sacred music courses. Even more exciting is the fact that the summer 2023 term features FREE tuition!
Our brochure is available on our website, and it features a very helpful FAQ to answer your questions about the program, course formats and delivery, room and board, etc.
Follow our events on Eventbrite!
Interested in our free events? One of the best ways to get notified about upcoming events (talks, concerts, workshops) that are free is to follow us on Eventbrite. Click here to access our profile.
For other events (workshops, summer classes) and announcements, sign up for our email list using the pop-up on our homepage. We’ll keep you in the loop! And we never share your information.
Call for Participation – Nov. 2023 Conference Celebrating the Work of Dr. William Mahrt
The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park is proud to announce its co-sponsorship of a November 2023 conference celebrating the work of Dr. William Mahrt. The Institute has issued a call for participation, inviting proposals for academic papers, lecture recitals, and panel discussions. Details are available on the conference website, where the call for participation can also be downloaded. The deadline for the submission of proposals is April 24, 2023.
catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/conference
The Musical Shape of the Liturgy: Celebrating the Life and Work of William P. Mahrt
Call for Participation
November 7–9, 2023
St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, California
Sponsored by:
The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary
The Church Music Association of America
Stanford University
The St. Ann Choir
Having devoted his life and scholarly activity to the study and praxis of the Roman rite and its music, the work of Dr. William Mahrt has become a touchstone for countless scholars and active church musicians. Professor Mahrt’s insights into the characteristics of the various forms of Gregorian chant have elucidated the nature of the chant as integral to the sacred liturgy, and even explicated the nature of the sacred liturgy itself. Too, his exposition of the nature of beauty and its embodiment in Catholic sacred music, liturgical gestures and symbols, and architecture has served as an important guide in the Church’s understanding of the purpose of artistic beauty in Divine worship. His work with the polyphonic masters of the Renaissance has illuminated the performances and scholarship of many choirs and students, and his devoted direction of the St. Ann Choir and Stanford Early Music Singers remains a pillar in the practice of sacred music in the United States.
On the occasion of the 150th volume of Sacred Music, which Dr. Mahrt has edited since 2006, upon the establishment of a new chair in sacred music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park in his name, and on the occasion of the 125thanniversary of the founding of St. Patrick’s Seminary, the organizing committee announces a conference entitled “The Musical Shape of the Liturgy: Celebrating the Life and Work of William P. Mahrt.”
This two-and-a-half-day conference will feature:
- Keynote addresses (William Mahrt, Joseph Dyer, Kerry McCarthy, Sr. Maria Kiely, O.S.B.)
- Papers, lecture recitals, and panel discussions on topics related to the conference theme
- Masses and the sung Divine Office led by the St. Ann Choir and the Schola Cantorum of St. Patrick’s Seminary
- Opportunities for informal discussions over included receptions and lunches on November 7, 8, and 9
- Banquet on the evening of November 8
Dr. Frank La Rocca, Institute Faculty, Featured in Recent Podcast Interview
The most recent episode of Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast features an interview with Dr. Frank La Rocca talking about his evolution as a composer and his reversion back to the Catholic faith. It raises important questions about the nature of academic training in composition at American universities, a question which the Institute is working to address through Dr. La Rocca’s contribution to the summer course lineup at the Institute. This summer, Dr. La Rocca will lead a 5-person composition seminar on short works for parish choirs on the mornings of July 17 to 21.
The application to the Institute will be posted soon our our website, and application to this particular seminar requires the additional submission of a composition portfolio.
Modal Mondays Sold Out!
Thank you for your interest in our inaugural online workshop series, Modal Mondays. We have reached our enrollment capacity for the workshop! Please stay tuned to our website for future offerings!