Catholic musicians gathered to blog about liturgy and life
Some of our readers may have been shocked to read on a conservative hit site that the Church Music Association of America (CMAA) is theological[ly] liberal (!!!)
It is utterly appalling that an organization that promotes itself as a guardian of truth would go to press with as many errors of fact as this one small paragraph contained regarding our organization. Simply outrageous.
As I’ve argued on these pages many times, parishes seeking to improve the spiritual lives of their people should make time for Confessions on Sundays, at the convenience of the sheep.
The National Catholic Register makes the argument here.
Some of our readers may be interested in this excellent opportunity.
Wyoming Catholic College seeks to hire a person who is capable both of teaching the music courses (see the Fine Arts page of our website for a description) together with at least one other subject in the pre-set curriculum, particularly Art History and Humanities, and of leading the College’s sacred music program. The combined position is full time.
The applicant must have already completed at least a Masters degree in music, preferably a doctorate. Especially desired is a candidate who has benefited from a traditional liberal arts education that will enable him or her to teach music with a sympathetic awareness of the principles, methods, and Great Books of other disciplines. A well-developed sensitivity to the spiritual and religious dimensions of great art will make the applicant more suitable to the overall educational mission of Wyoming Catholic College.
The applicant should have the ability to lead the sacred music program, in keeping with the language of the Philosophical Vision Statement: “Wyoming Catholic College will establish and cultivate a proper campus culture through the liturgy, sacraments, and music of the Roman Catholic Church integrated into the life of the College.” The mixed choir, a popular extracurricular activity that has been running for ten years, sings a wide repertoire of choral music by great composers such as Palestrina, Victoria, Tallis, Byrd, Bach, Mozart, and Bruckner. The Choir rehearses once a week and sings twice a week at Mass. For its part, the Schola Cantorum prepares and performs Gregorian chant for the collegiate liturgies.
The applicant should understand and agree with the vision and mission of Wyoming Catholic College as articulated in the Philosophical Vision Statement and the Academic Catalog. This understanding and agreement are to be manifested in the letter of intent.
The professor is required to teach a course load of 8–12 hours per week and to run the sacred music program (approximately 4 hours of rehearsal time per week, plus preparations and liturgies). Any overtime is compensated. Faculty at WCC are committed to teaching and serving students as their first and foremost responsibility. At the beginning of each academic year, all Catholic faculty make a Profession of Faith and take the Oath of Fidelity, and non-Catholic faculty make a pledge to respect the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Rank and salary commensurate with degrees earned and teaching experience; salary and benefits competitive.
A letter of intent with curriculum vitae should be sent to the Academic Dean, Dr. Thaddeus Kozinski, Wyoming Catholic College, 306 Main Street, Lander, WY 82520, or by email submission to thaddeus.kozinski@wyomingcatholic.org
Application deadline: We are reviewing applications beginning February 12, 2018 until the position is filled.
If this has already been posted I apologize, but the summer sacred music courses at Dunwoodie sound too good to miss.
The principles of Sacred Music program would be of benefit to virtually anyone in parochial music, including, (shh… don’t tell anyone I said this,) Praise & Worship or liturgical “folk” musicians
Almost indubitably anyone reading this already knows of Jenny Donelson, oops, sorry, Dr. Jennifer Donelson, but if you don’t I can’t recommend her highly enough as a teacher, (a break-out session she gave at a CMAA Colloquium about liturgical Sequences is one of my highlights of over a decade of Colloquia.)
An interesting facet of one offering is the online/on campus components, and omigosh you underpaid Church musicians! Just LOOK at the inexpensive room and board, (I don’t suppose they have enough room for the colloquium ever?)
 |
| Maurice Duruflé (image from Wikimedia) |
This year is the 70th anniversary of the Duruflé Requiem, and an article in the Boston Globe tells a bit of the work’s and the composer’s history.
For those in the area, there will be an opportunity to hear the work Friday, March 9, when the Choir of St. Paul’s sings the Requiem at St. Paul Church in Cambridge:
https://stpaulparish.org/2018/02/maurice-durufles-requiem-march-9th/
 |
| Watou Festival photograph |
If you are finding the month of May lacking in entertainment, why not consider this festival of Gregorian chant scholas and choirs.
International Gregorian Festival of Watou
You might find the site a bit tricky to navigate since much of it is Dutch (Flemish). However, even if travel isn’t in your plans, it’s nice to know what others are up to in the sacred music world.
Interestingly, this festival always has a South Korean presence. And if you visit the site of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, you will find a considerable number of Korean students. What is the relationship there? Is chant more popular than guitar music in Korean Catholic circles? And why are the singers predominantly women? Why does life present so many questions?
