As a new blogger, I have been slow in getting started, but I hope to have something to contribute on a regular basis. My first post will cover what for me is probably the highlight of my year.

Although I have been back home for over a month, I am still basking in the beauty and joy of the Sacred Music Colloquium XX, sponsored by the Church Music Association of America (CMAA). From June 21-27 Duquesne University hosted 250 people in “Seven Days of Musical Heaven”. The Colloquium is more than just a summer music camp, it is more akin to a retreat, for faithful Catholics flock to it for spiritual, as well as musical rejuvenation. Each day is filled with music, prayer, and instruction. There are five Gregorian chant scholæ (Mixed Beginners, Intermediate Men, Intermediate Women, Advanced Men, and Advanced Women) and five polyphonic choirs. Every day there are chant and polyphony rehearsals, and also lectures and workshops, all led by master instructors. Attendees range from those who are volunteer parish choir members to those who are professional organists and choir directors, and the spirit of charity and joy rules as all are made to feel at home. Perhaps that is because every day we are reminded of our true home when we sing at Mass the chants and polyphonic works we have been practicing.

As I noted above, this is the twentieth Colloquium and it has grown a great deal since the early years. The first Colloquium was held in 1990 at Christendom College (Front Royal, VA) and continued there through 2002. The first time I attended was in 1994, and in those years it was common for there to be about 30-40 people in attendance. The founder and guiding light in those early years was Father Robert Skeris. We were also blessed to have Monsignor Richard Schuler, Maestro Paul Salamunovich, Dr Theodore Marier, and Father Ralph March amongst our mentors.

From 2003-2007 the Colloquium was held at the Catholic University of America (Washington, DC), and it was during this time that the Colloquium began to grow, especially after 2005. I don’t think it was a coincidence that this began to happen during the pontificate of Benedict XVI. In 2006 the number of participants grew to about 85, and in 2007 the number shot up to 144, nearly double the size. In fact, registration had to be closed two months before the Colloquium because the capacity had already been reached. By this time it became clear that it would be necessary to move to a facility that could more easily handle the larger numbers we were expecting. Also by this time, the CMAA had a stellar new president in Dr William Mahrt of Stanford University. Under Dr Mahrt’s leadership, new directions and initiatives were taken, including the beginning of a CMAA website. David Hughes was the first webmaster, and Jeffrey Tucker began to play an active role in various ventures to promote sacred music, especially on the website. These ventures, dear readers, will be discussed on a future blog post. A new generation of master teachers joined the Colloquium, among them Scott Turkington, Wilko Brouwers, and Horst Buchholz. Arlene Oost-Zinner became the conference manager and brought her superb management skills to the Colloquium. The new Colloquium was to be Loyola University of Chicago, and this is where we met in 2008-2009.

Here is a link to a brief video (of just under 3 minutes) from the 2008 Sacred Music Colloquium, held at Loyola University of Chicago. It gives a good overview of what goes on at the Colloquium and contains wonderful examples of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony as sung by the participants. The final work is Anton Bruckner’s magnificent setting of Ave Maria, sung by all 230 participants, at the end of the Colloquium. You will briefly see Bishop Salvatore Cordileone (then auxiliary in San Diego), who came to celebrate Mass and stayed for polyphonic Vespers because he enjoyed the Colloquium so much. This video and the following two were professionally made by Corpus Christi Watershed, a Catholic “apostolate dedicated to the arts, culture, and religion.” For more on Corpus Christi Watershed, visit www.ccwatershed.org. Also, future blog posts will explore this exciting initiative in more detail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5emKd8ajSc

In 2009 Cardinal George celebrated a Novus Ordo Latin Mass for the Birth of Saint John the Baptist. His Eminence chanted his part expertly and preached inspiringly on the Forerunner of Christ. Corpus Christi Watershed returned, this time to film a full-length documentary on Colloquium XIX, which has now been broadcast on EWTN. The film can be viewed online, or purchased, at the Corpus Christi Watershed website.

Here is a short video (6:25) of this year’s Colloquium, which drew 250 participants to Pittsburgh, PA. All Masses were celebrated in the beautiful Romanesque revival Church of the Epiphany, just across from Duquesne University.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FxEQdh-0JY

Here is a second brief video from this year’s Colloquium; it’s a little over 3 minutes long.

Finally, here is a third video from this year’s Colloquium; it’s a little over 3 minutes long.

http://vimeo.com/13779840

The CMAA Sacred Music Colloquium has always been an intergenerational event, drawing participants as young as fourteen and as old as seventy-five. This year, however, it seemed as if at least half of the participants were under the age of thirty. Another long-time unique feature of the Colloquium is that, unlike most parish choirs, the Colloquium choirs are made up of as many men as women. There’s more I could say, but this is enough for one day. To learn more about the Colloquium, visit www.musicasacra.com.