February 1-2, 2008, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Auburn, Alabama

Registration: online or printed | Complete 2008 packet | Press Release | Directions to St. Michaels | Shuttles from Airport | Hotels in Auburn
Gregorian chant and sacred music of the Renaissance are not just for recordings and cathedrals. They can be used in any parish and sung by everyone. Indeed, says the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this music should assume “pride of place” in the Roman Rite. Pope Benedict XVI has been emphatic in emphasizing the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that chant and polyphony are the most suitable music for Mass.

Join us for the 5th annual workshop on singing and learning about sacred music, held at St. Michaels Catholic Church in Auburn, Alabama. This practicum shows how you can take part in the revival of sacred music in your parish. It provides a practical introduction for directors of music, singers in parish choirs, parents and teachers who want to teach chant to children, or anyone who is curious about the sound and solemnity of truly sacred music.

This year, we are supremely pleased to host the internationally renowned conductor and teaching Wilko Browers of the Monteverdi Choir in the Netherlands. He is also a composer, organist, and teacher, is a man for whom great music is inseparable from that which is sacred. He understands that it alone is this connection with the Creator that make music worthy of our best efforts, most specifically, within the context of the Catholic liturgy. Mr. Brouwers is unassuming in stature, but immense in artistry, insight, and the relentless pursuit of perfection in the service of the faith. You can read an interview with him here.

A native of the Netherlands, Brouwers studied choral conducting at the Music Academy of Arnhem and the Liszt Academy in Budapest, and is the director of the Ward Center Holland, an institute for music education. He has conducted the Monteverdi Kamerkoor Utrecht since 1989, a group which performs in the Netherlands and abroad, has made recording and earned top honors in the Dutch Choir Festival’s mixed choir category in 1997 and 2000. He also directs the Strijps Kamerkoor, the Kinderkoor Keysershoff, and plays the organ for Saint Christopher Church in Waalre. He is also very good at working with amateur parish musicians, even beginners, and showing them how to make beautiful music suitable for liturgy.

The workshop beings on Friday morning. This day will concentrate on chant, and runs from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Saturday then picks up with polyphony and continues throughout the day. It concludes with a parish liturgy that will use all that we have learned. The entire program is designed for singers with some musical background (which means the ability to read music).

Sponsored by the St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum (as featured on EWTN), the workshop features: Singing sessions on 16th century polyphony by Tallis, Palestrina, Byrd, Di Lasso, and others; Singing and instructional sessions on the basics of reading chant notation; Singing sessions on the essential Latin chants every Catholic should know; a Mass during which the Workshop Schola will sing what we’ve learned; Sheet music provided as part of registration; and lunch and all-day child care.

In particular, sessions on Friday will work through the selected Ordinary Chant and Propers for Sunday. These chant gaining new attention, given recent Vatican statements favoring more chant, polyphony, and solemnity in liturgy. The polyphony workshop will focus on the music of Palestrina, Byrd, Vitoria, Croce, and Di Lasso.

The Saturday workshop runs from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Here is a list of hotels in Auburn, Alabama. Come join us for a fun, educational experience that will leave you inspired, spiritually uplifted, and ready to participate in the renewal of the great Catholic musical tradition.

Registration fee for the full Sacred Music Workshop $75 per attendee for both days, which includes lunches, music, and fantastic hospitality. You can register online or download and mail the registration form.

(Note on travel: the shuttle from the Atlanta airport [Eastern Standard Time; Auburn is Central] takes approx. 90 minutes to arrived at the hotel or the parish.)

St. Michaels Catholic Church
302 East Magnolia Ave.
Auburn, Alabama 36830
Or email us

Schedule

9:00am Welcome and Registration
9:15am Basics of Chant
10:30am Break
10:45 Chant repertoire
12:00 Lunch provided
1:30pm Chant repertoire
3:00pm Coffee and Break
3:15pm Chant repertoire
5:00pm Reception
6:00pm Dinner on your own

SATURDAY, February 2
8:30-10:00am Polyphony
10:00-10:15am Break
10:15-11:45am Polyphony Continued
11:45-1:00pm Lunch provided
1:00-2:30pm Polyphony Continued
2:30-2:45pm Break
2:45-4:00pm Final Rehearsal for evening Liturgy: Chant, polyphony, hymns
4:00-5:00pm Break
5:00pm Vigil Mass