This is going to be a wonderful program, at a fantastic price:
CMAA 2010 Fall Practicum: Gregorian Chant at the Houston Cathedral; Houston, Texas, October 21-23.
Faculty includes Scott Turkington (Gregorian chant for men), Arlene Oost-Zinner (Gregorian chant for women), Dr. William Mahrt, CMAA President, (Advanced chant for men and women), and Rev. Robert Pasley (Training for priests, deacons, seminarians and those who train them to sing the Mass). Talks by Dr. William Mahrt and Jeffrey Tucker (Managing Editor, Sacred Music; Sing Like a Catholic).
The Program includes Solemn Vespers on Friday evening and concludes with a Missa Cantata in the Ordinary Form on Saturday evening; Dr. Crista Miller, Organist. Cost: $165 (includes instruction, materials, 3 meals and reception).
The organ is beautiful with a room-filling sound. The acoustics are good. The liturgies around the organ dedication–except for Vespers–were shockingly pedestrian. The rite for blessing of an organ spells out that the instument is heard for the first time during the incensation, which follows the entrance and liturgy of the Word. This seems more observed in the breach and the Houston dedication had an accompanied hymn at the beginning.
Anyway, I'm hoping the Practicum will elevate standards and present an alternative model for liturgy and music.