Upcoming Church Music Events

The CMAA is pleased to post information about your sacred music event. Contact us for details. See the forum for more church music events. If you are thinking of organizing a workshop, here are some practical suggestions, including a link to information on how to create your own online registration form.

Fall Sacred Music Workshop 2023: October 12-14

Join the Church Music Association of America for an enriching and transformative experience at the Fall Sacred Music Workshop for Chant and Polyphony.

Taking place on October 12-14 at the serene St. Benedict Abbey in Still River, Massachusetts, this three-day workshop offers participants the unique opportunity to delve into the timeless beauty of chant and polyphony under the guidance of distinguished directors Dr. Horst Buchholz, David Hughes, and Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka.

Immerse yourself in the sacred liturgies enhanced by the melodic strains of chant as you join the CMAA in singing Vespers on Thursday, October 12, and the glorious Masses on Friday, October 13, and Saturday, October 14. Discover the essentials of sung Morning Prayer, Vespers, and Night Prayer, gaining a deeper understanding of these timeless expressions of worship.

Registration is now open!   CMAA members should check their e-mail for the special discount code.

Historic Churches of Detroit Bus Tour

Pre-Colloquium Event | June 19, 10am – 2pm | Detroit

Alex Begin, a knowledgeable Catholic Detroit native, and host of EWTNs Extraordinary Faith, will take you on a 4 Hour journey to explore some of the most significant Catholic sites in the city, including beautiful historic churches dating back hundreds of years. The list of sites may include Holy Family, Sweetest Heart of Mary, St. Albertus, St. Aloysius, Basilica of St. Anne, and Holy Redeemer. You’ll learn about the unique architectural significance of each church, its part in Detroit’s Catholic history, and the role of the church in shaping the city’s cultural identity.

The bus tour is an optional activity that is available for a small additional cost. The tour will last approximately four hours and will provide you with a unique opportunity to see the city from a different perspective. You’ll have the chance to ask questions and engage with Alex as he shares his expertise and insights. Lunch at Hart Plaza, transportation to and from Wayne State University, and the guided tour is included in the cost.

To register for this tour, please visit our registration site here: REGISTER NOW

 

CMAA Upcoming Programs!

Join the CMAA in at St. Mary’s Parish in Detroit, MI for Sacred Music Colloquium XXXIII, June 19-24, 2023! Get all the details here:

SACRED MUSIC COLLOQUIUM 2023

We also announce our upcoming Summer Courses for 2023, which will be at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor, MI, June 26-30, 2023.

SUMMER COURSES 2023

Space is limited, so register today!

Sacred Music Workshop on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, January 27-28, 2023

Sacred Music Workshop
January 27-28, 2023
Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church
228 South Beach Boulevard ~ Bay St. Louis, MS 39520

Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church and the Classical Arts Foundation of South Mississippi invite you to join us for our first Sacred Music Workshop, to be held at the beautiful Our Lady of the Gulf Church on the beach in downtown Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.  This two-day workshop will be presented by Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka and will be a fantastic opportunity for cantors, choir members, music directors, and clergy to:

  • Attend presentations on the Church’s vision for sacred music and praying with sacred music
  • Study the Church’s sacred music and liturgy
  • Learn to read and sing Gregorian chant
  • Participate in sung liturgies
  • Enjoy fellowship with area musicians

From novice to expert, all will enjoy this educational, encouraging and inspiring time at Our Lady of the Gulf, and there will be opportunities for confession and prayer! There will be a special session for choir directors on Friday morning from 10 a.m. – noon.  The general workshop registration opens at 3 p.m. on Friday and culminates with a sung Mass Saturday evening at 5 p.m.  The registration fee ($40) covers all workshop materials as well as dinner on Friday, lunch on Saturday, and coffee and snacks both days.  For more information and to register and pay for the workshop, please visit https://classicalartsfoundation.com/sacred-music-workshop/.  You may also contact us at workshop@classicalartsfoundation.com.

If you would like a little extra, come a day early!  Join us on Thursday, January 26, at 7 p.m. as Dr. Donelson-Nowicka presents: The Role of Beauty in the Spiritual Life: Understanding and Praying with the Church’s Sacred Music.  This presentation is free and open to all. No registration required!  Read her bio here: https://jenniferdonelson.com/bio

Sing with us in Menlo Park!

Fall Sacred Music Workshop 2022 | Menlo Park, California

The Church Music Association of America is pleased to announce the first Fall Sacred Music Workshop for Chant and Polyphony. This four-day workshop offers participants the opportunity to study chant and polyphony with outstanding directors and presenters Dr. Horst Buchholz, Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, David Hughes, Dr. William Mahrt, and Rev. Robert Pasley. We also welcome guest speakers Maggie Gallagher, of the Benedict XVI Institute, and Fr. Samuel Weber, of St. Patrick’s Seminary.

Participate in singing the beautiful liturgies with the CMAA on September 15, 16, and 17 at St. Patrick’s Seminary in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, California. Join in with morning and night prayer and enjoy an evening with sung Vespers and an organ recital.

Lodging will be available at Vallombrosa Retreat Center during the workshop. Full meals and lodging are available for participants. Commuter options also available.

Liturgies will be at St. Patrick’s Seminary.

Get all the details here: FALL WORKSHOP

Register online here: ONLINE REGISTRATION

 

Southeastern Sacred Music Weekend VII

Join us for the Southeastern Sacred Music Weekend!

Friday and Saturday, July 29-30, 2022
Holy Ghost Church
Knoxville, Tennessee

Southeastern Sacred Music invites you to join us for our seventh annual workshop, to be held at Holy Ghost, Knoxville’s oldest and most traditional Catholic church.

Whether you are a singer, a choir director, an organist, or a member of the clergy, this one-and-a-half day workshop is an ideal opportunity for you to:
• learn to read and sing Gregorian chant or further develop your chant skills,
• gain the skills and tools to immediately improve your parish music program, guided by the Church’s magisterial documents,
• explore repertory options (many of them available at no cost) for Mass, no matter what your parish or choir situation,
• learn how to chant Vespers and start singing Vespers in your parish, and
• study special topics including sacred polyphony, the use of the organ, restoring our Catholic musical tradition, and more.

Participants from novice to expert will have the opportunity to join a chant group and a motet ensemble of their choice. Those new to chant are highly encouraged to attend. The workshop will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Friday and culminate with a sung Mass Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m.

Presenters and facilitators will include Father Robert C. Pasley, KCHS, rector of Mater Ecclesiae Parish in Berlin, N.J., and chaplain of the Church Music Association of America; Jonathan Eason; Janet Gorbitz; Alex Hill; Maria Rist; Bridget Scott; Ryan Seaver; and Mary Weaver.

The registration fee ($75 through May 20; $90 afterward) covers all materials as well as lunch on Saturday and coffee and snacks both days. For more information, contact Mary Weaver at 865-437-8620, or use our contact form at https://southeasternsacredmusic.com/contact/. To register and pay for the workshop, please visit our website, https://southeasternsacredmusic.com/

Register Now for CMAA Summer Programs!

The Church Music Association of America (CMAA) is happy to announce that we will be holding in-person events this year. We hope you’ll make plans to join us for lovely liturgies, inspiration, education, and camaraderie.

SUMMER COURSES | June 14-18, 2022 | St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Hagerstown, MD

SACRED MUSIC COLLOQUIUM | June 20-25, 2022 | St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Hagerstown, MD

Both events are also hosted by The Collegium of Hagerstown, Maryland.

 

Our SUMMER COURSES will include:

  • NEW!!! Vocal Training Intensive, Dr. MeeAe Cecilia Nam, Instructor
  • Laus in Ecclesia – Level One (Clear Creek Abbey), Kathy Reinheimer, Instructor
  • NEW!!! Laus in Ecclesia – Level Two (Clear Creek Abbey), Br. Mark Bachmann, Instructor

For details about the courses and the schedule, visit our webpage here: SUMMER COURSES.

REGISTER ONLINE NOW – SUMMER COURSES

The SACRED MUSIC COLLOQUIUM will feature the opportunity to sing in chant and polyphony choirs, hear inspiring plenary talks and breakouts, join in morning and night prayer, and add your voice to the music at liturgies Tuesday – Saturday, plus Vespers on Thursday.

The liturgies at St. Mary’s Catholic Church will be:

  • June 21, 2022, 4:30 pm, Mass, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Novus ordo (NO), Spanish / Latin
  • June 22, 2022, 4:30 pm, Mass, Memorial of Ss. John Fisher and Thomas More, NO, English
  • June 23, 2022, 4:30 pm, Mass, Nativity of St. John the Baptist, NO, Latin
  • June 23, 2022, 7:00 pm, Vespers, 1st Vespers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Usus antiquior (UA), Latin
  • June 24, 2022, 4:30 pm, Mass, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (UA), Latin
  • June 25, 2022, 10:30 am, Mass, Requiem Mass for Deceased CMAA Members, UA, Latin

For all the details about the Colloquium, including faculty, choirs, repertory, schedule, detail about breakout topics, visit our webpage here: SACRED MUSIC COLLOQUIUM.

REGISTER ONLINE NOW – COLLOQUIUM

If you want to help support our in-person programs, particularly for scholarships and reduced registration fees for seminarians and students, please consider making a donation to the CMAA.

GIVE A GIFT

Save the Dates – Colloquium and Summer Courses!

The CMAA is delighted to announce that our upcoming Sacred Music Colloquium will be held in Hagerstown, Maryland June 20-25, 2022 at St. Mary’s Parish in Hagerstown.

In addition, our Summer Courses will also take place at St. Mary’s in Hagerstown, Maryland June 14-18, 2022. The Summer Courses offered will be

  • NEW!!! Vocal Pedagogy, taught by Dr. MeeAe Cecilia Nam
  • Laus in Ecclesia Level One, taught by Kathy Reinheimer
  • NEW!!! Laus in Ecclesia Level Two, taught by Fr. Mark Bachmann, choirmaster at Clear Creek Abbey

We hope you’ll make plans to join us. Our online registration and full details will be forthcoming, so stay tuned!

Announcing: Sacred Music Boot Camp

The Church Music Association of America presents

October 15-17, 2020
Live on Zoom

Don’t know where to start?
Looking to grow from the ground up?
Need fresh ideas?

Find inspiration and spiritual refreshment as our experts field your questions about developing your parish sacred music program.

Price: $30
Daily spiritual reflection and Compline: FREE admission

Spanish Sessions on Thursday: FREE admission

 

Topics include these and more:

  • The Hierarchy of the Sung Liturgy: When and What to Sing
  • How to Read Square Notes
  • How to Start a Chant Choir
  • The Basics of Conducting Chant
  • The Role of the Organ in the Liturgy: When and What to Play
  • How Did We Get Here: the History of Sacred Music After Vatican II in the U.S.
  • Building a Music Program Budget
  • and more…

For all the details, visit our webpage at:

SACRED MUSIC BOOT CAMP

 

Announcing the CMAA’s Virtual Colloquium 2020!

Sacred Music Virtual Colloquium 2020
July 6 – 10, 2020

REGISTER ONLINE NOW

The Church Music Association of America is proud to invite you to join us in our first Virtual Sacred Music Colloquium. As the world contends with the effects of the worldwide pandemic, the CMAA’s Sacred Music Virtual Colloquium will be designed to provide sessions that will be useful to you during these times of musical restrictions, as well as moving forward toward the future. Our virtual program offers opportunities for learning, singing, listening, and interacting with some of the best minds and musicians in the Catholic world today!

The CMAA Virtual Colloquium will be primarily focused on instruction in topics related to chant, polyphony and the Catholic sacred music tradition, lectures and daily night prayer. During the week, you’ll be able to participate in all these sessions via your home computer using the Zoom app. At the end of each breakout session there will be a question and answer session.

Virtual Colloquium Highlights

    • Breakout sessions during the week on a variety of topics, from directing, organ improvisation, Catholic Music in Time of Pandemic, children’s programs, vocal pedagogy and Ward Method, Spanish Musical Resources (in Spanish), Programming for your Choir, Rehearsing the Choir, Medieval Analysis, and The Jubilus of the Alleluia, among others.
    • Daily Spiritual Reflections provided by our chaplain, Rev. Robert Pasley.
    • Night Prayer – Roman Rite, Extraordinary Form
    • Evening Panel Discussions and opportunities to share experiences.

VIRTUAL COLLOQUIUM PAGE

Visit the Main Virtual Colloquium Page for all the details about the Schedule, Descriptions of Breakout Sessions, Faculty Information, Registration details and more.

More information on events is at our past events archive page.

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