Events

Upcoming Events

Sacred Music Stockton

The second annual Sacred Music Stockton workshop will be held at St. Mary’s Church in Oakdale, California.

Conference Focus: The Music of the Requiem Mass

This year’s conference will focus on the music of the Catholic Requiem Mass, also known as the Mass for the Dead. The conference will not only introduce you to the spirituality of the sung propers for the Mass, but it will also teach you how to prepare sufficiently beautiful music to honor the faithful departed.

Additionally, we will celebrate a Mass on Friday, October 23rd, to honor the faithfully departed loved ones of all those present for the conference. Participants will have the opportunity to sing together at this requiem Mass, and they will also be invited to bring forward the names of their loved ones for whom they are praying.

Given the conference’s proximity to All Souls’ Day, we would also like to remind you that the propers for the requiem Mass are the same as the propers for All Souls’ Day. Music Directors are encouraged to bring their parish choirs to the conference to prepare them to carry out a truly beautiful liturgy only days later back in their home parish.

Jornada de Estudio de Música Sacra

Nuestra segunda Jornada anual de Estudio de Música Sacra, íntegramente en español

Este evento incluirá:

• Ensayos con música que podrán llevar a sus parroquias: un Ordinario de Misa, himnos, y música coral accesible y hermosa.
• La oportunidad de aprender música para cantar juntos durante la celebración de la Misa.
• Talleres con consejos prácticos para desarrollar y enseñar una técnica vocal saludable.
• Misa solemne, celebrada por Su Excelencia, Salvatore J. Cordileone, Arzobispo de San Francisco, y cantada por los participantes.
• Catequesis sobre el papel de la música sacra en la vida espiritual.
• Oportunidad para recibir 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. 

Quédese para los talleres adicionales de la tarde o váyase después del almuerzo si tiene otros compromisos familiares o parroquiales.

Ave Maria, Florida, Lecture and Workshop

Join Dr. Donelson-Nowicka for a Friday evening lecture and an all-day Saturday sacred music workshop at Ave Maria Parish in Ave Maria, Florida. 

Fall Term Monday Online Workshop Series Continues

Are you looking to overhaul your sacred music program into something aligned with the Church’s vision for sacred music? A program that truly glorifies God and sanctifies the faithful? That helps people pray? That is a vibrant part of the social life of your parish? That draws people to your parish? A program that builds up people’s capacity to produce excellent sacred music at each and every Mass? 

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music offers new workshop topics each semester that meet the needs of musicians and pastors. 

The fall term’s topics begin with the practical, and move to the specialist. 

The online format with optional archived access means you can learn on a compact schedule that works for you and your community. Parish subscription enable people to learn together, and develop helpful conversations for transformative application in your community. Each workshop focuses on useful takeaways you can apply in your work at parishes and schools.

Building from Square (Note) One – Understanding Church Teaching on Sacred Music and Transforming Your Parish Music Program
Four Mondays: Sept. 21, 28, Oct. 5, 12
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Pacific | 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern
with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka

Learn the Church’s fundamental teachings about sacred music and put them into practice! 

Each session begins with a clear explanation of a key principle from the Church’s magisterium on sacred music. We then explore how that principle applies to real parish circumstances, offering practical best practices that help priests and music directors turn the teaching into lived reality. Participants will also work with guided questions that help them inventory the people, skills, and resources already present in their communities, enabling them to build sustainable structures that maximize local gifts and create a vibrant parish music program.

Ideal for priests, music directors, and parish or finance council members. Late sign-up only after the topic begins. 

Catholic Funerals: Implementing and Singing Sacred Music
Two Mondays: Oct.19, 26
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Pacific | 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern
with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka

This workshop explores the Church’s teaching on sacred music as it applies specifically to the funeral rites, guiding priests, music directors, and parish musicians on implementing policies and preparing music that are both liturgically appropriate and pastorally sensitive. Participants will learn to sing the theologically rich music of the Requiem Mass, as well as discuss practical strategies for implementing beautiful, reverent, and dignified sacred music in real parish settings—whether resources are abundant or limited. Sample funeral Mass policies will be presented, alongside discussion of pastoral challenges like family requests, cultural expectations, and the need to foster both consolation rooted in Christian hope and prayer for the deceased.

Ideal for priests and music directors.

Three Different Approaches to Gregorian Rhythm and How to Sing Them
Three Mondays: Nov. 9, 16, 23
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Pacific | 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern
with Dr. Charles Weaver

Three ways to sing the Church’s chant with beauty!

Discover the Church’s Gregorian chant with fresh ears by singing it according to different styles. The principles articulated by mensuralists, Dom André Mocquereau, and Dom Eugène Cardine will be presented.

Ideal for musicians with experience singing Gregorian chant.

Sacred Music Workshop, TAC New England

Join Dr. Donelson-Nowicka for an all-day Saturday sacred music workshop at Thomas Aquinas College’s New England campus in Northfield, Massachusetts.

More information forthcoming. 

Advent and Christmas Concert

Join the St. Patrick’s Seminary Schola Cantorum and the CISM Choristers for a concert of Advent and Christmas music. 

More information forthcoming. 

Vocal Juries for Applied Voice

Final exams of Applied Voice for MSM and Certificate students

Spring Term Begins for MSM and Certificate Students

Spring Courses: Applied Voice, MSM Colloquium

MSM and Certificate Application Deadline

Deadline for Summer 2027 cohort. Auditions and interviews take place January 15 to February 15 with decisions by February 20. 

Comienzan los talleres en español del semestre de primavera

¡Desarrolla la voz que Dios te ha dado!
Aprende a respirar mejor, cantar afinadamente, ampliar tu extensión vocal e interpretar música más exigente

Tres sábados: 30 de enero; 6 y 13 de febrero
9:00 a.m. a 10:00 a.m. Pacífico | 12:00 p.m. a 13:00 Oriental
with Prof. Sandra Bengochea

¿Sientes que tu voz tiene mucho más potencial del que estás usando?

Este taller online está diseñado especialmente para cantantes que quieren crecer de forma real y práctica.
Aquí aprenderás a:
• Respirar con mayor control y apoyo
• Cantar afinado con seguridad
• Ampliar tu extensión vocal de manera saludable
• Interpretar música más exigente con expresividad y confianza

No importa si estás empezando o ya tienes experiencia: este espacio te dará herramientas claras, ejercicios progresivos y acompañamiento para que tu voz se fortalezca y se libere.

¡Inscríbete ahora y empieza a desarrollar la voz que Dios te ha dado!

Christian Plainchant in the First Millennium: Unity and Diversity in East and West

Online conference of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music in Conjunction with St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary. More details forthcoming

Sacred Music Study Day

The fourth annual Sacred Music Study Day—co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, St. Patrick’s Seminary, and the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music—draws together singers from all over northern California for an all-day Catholic choral festival.

The event features:

• Three tracks for singers: beginner, intermediate, or advanced
• Rehearsals featuring music you can take home to your congregations: a Mass ordinary, Lenten hymns, approachable and beautiful choral music
• The opportunity to learn music we can sing together at Mass
• Tips on teaching/learning note-reading in rehearsalsWorkshops offering tips on developing and teaching healthy vocal technique
• Solemn Mass, sung by participants, celebrated by His Excellency, Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco
• Catechesis on the role of sacred music in the spiritual life
• An opportunity to go to confession
• Lunch, refreshments, and fellowship with area musicians

The event is designed especially for:

• Parish music directors
• Parish choir members
• Cantors
• Clergy

Singers and music directors of all ability levels will find the event enriching and worthwhile.

Sacred Music Workshop, St. Norbert’s College

Join Dr. Donelson-Nowicka for a sacred music workshop at St. Norbert’s College in De Pere, Wisconsin.

More information forthcoming. 

Descifrando el código musical: Una guía básica de la notación cuadrada y moderna

Cuatro sábados: 10, 17, y 24 de abril, 1 de mayo
9:00-10:00 a.m. (hora del Pacífico) | 12:00-13:00 p.m. (hora del Este)
con José Ballón Vásquez

¿Alguna vez te has encontrado ante una partitura sin saber por dónde comenzar? ¿Cómo se identifican las notas, los ritmos y los demás signos musicales? ¿Y cómo se lee la notación propia del canto gregoriano?

En esta clase recibirás una introducción práctica a la lectura de la notación moderna y de la notación cuadrada gregoriana. Mediante herramientas como el solfeo y el conteo rítmico cantado, aprenderás a interpretar los principales signos de una partitura y a convertir la música escrita en sonido. Estos conocimientos te ayudarán a abordar con mayor seguridad el repertorio de tu coro y a desarrollar tus habilidades como músico eclesiástico.

Esta clase está dirigida especialmente a integrantes de coros parroquiales, directores de coro y otros músicos eclesiásticos que deseen fortalecer sus habilidades de lectura musical.

Vocal Juries for Applied Voice

Final exams of Applied Voice for MSM and Certificate students

Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit

The second Summit speaker line-up will be announced in August 2026.