2018 Colloquium: Chicago

June 25-30, 2018
Monday, June 25

The Church Music Association of America returned to the shores of Lake Michigan for the 28th Sacred Music Colloquium, a week of musical and liturgical formation held on the campus of Loyola University Chicago.  During the week, Mass was offered in the University’s Madonna della Strada chapel, and the works sung are included in the colloquium music book, which is available for download.

After the registration hour in Regis Hall, newcomers attended an orientation session in Mundelein Hall; then a reception and dinner were held in the Mundelein Auditorium, followed by Night Prayer.

Tuesday, June 26

After Morning Prayer and a choral warm-up in Mundelein Auditorium, participants attended their first chant rehearsals and the plenary talk “What Makes Music Sacred?”, presented by Prof. William Mahrt, president of CMAA.

The first Mass of the Colloquium was a votive Mass of the Holy Spirit, celebrated by the Most Rev. Joseph Perry, auxiliary bishop of Chicago. For this Ordinary Form Mass in English, the assembled participants sang Richard Rice’s St. Theodore Mass, and the propers were sung in English adaptations by Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB. Dr. Horst Buchholz, director of sacred music for the Cathedral in St. Louis, was the organist.

(photos by Charles Cole)

Wednesday, June 27

The Mass on Wednesday, celebrated in Spanish, was a ferial Mass in the Ordinary Form, for the 12th week of Ordinary Time. The proper of the Mass was chanted with melodies adapted from the Roman Gradual into Spanish by Janet Gorbitz; Spanish composers (Vila, Capillas, Morales, de Santa Maria) were featured in polyphonic works and organ compositions, and Mass XVI was sung as the ordinary, along with the chants of the USCCB’s newly published Misal Romano. Fr. Robin Kwan, SJC, was the celebrant, and Professor Ann Labounsky (Duquesne) was the organist.

In the evening, David Hughes, director of music at St. John Fisher Seminary in Stamford, Connecticut, and Charles Cole, director of the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School, presented a recital of organ works by Bach, Duruflé, and Fauré, and others, on the chapel’s Stamm Memorial organ, Goulding and Wood Opus 47. The recital ended with the sung celebration of Compline, a custom of the Colloquium, and a postlude by Jehan Alain.

Thursday, June 28

On Thursday, June 28th, a solemn Requiem Mass for the deceased members of the Church Music Association of America was celebrated in the Madonna della Strada Chapel. The celebrant for the Mass was the CMAA’s chaplain, Fr. Robert Pasley, assisted by Deacon Edward Schaefer, and Fr. James Richardson as subdeacon.
Every year when this Mass is celebrated as part of the colloquium, the silence is striking, especially when paired with the profoundly moving music of so many composers who have written for these texts. The silence was augmented this year by the almost exclusive use of Gregorian chant, with only a few polyphonic motets and, as is customary, no organ accompaniment.

Friday, June 29

The colloquium usually features a solemn celebration of Vespers during the week, but this year we observed Lauds for the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul according to the traditional form of the Roman rite. Dr. Ann Labounsky was the organist, and several chant choirs performed portions of the Office: the men’s schola under Charles Cole sang the antiphons, the women’s schola directed by Wilko Brouwers sang the verses, the faculty schola sang the Benedictus, and Dr. Mahrt’s chant improvisation class sang the hymn.

In the afternoon, Mass was celebrated in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite in Latin for the feast of SS Peter and Paul. The celebrant was Fr. Donald Morgan, assisted by Deacon Edward Schaefer. The Mass setting was Victoria’s Missa Quarti Toni, and the Colloquium choirs also sang the full chant propers and motets by Palestrina and Richafort. Pictured is Dr. Horst Buchholz, director of one of the polyphonic choirs. The organists for the Mass were David Hughes and Charles Cole.

Saturday, June 30

The final Mass of the CMAA 2018 Colloquium was celebrated on the Commemoration of St Paul the Apostle in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The Mass was celebrated by Fr. Donald Morgan, joined by Deacon Edward Schaefer and Fr. Robert Pasley, Chaplain of the CMAA, as Subdeacon. The organist for the Mass was David Hughes. Dr. William Mahrt, the Chairman of the CMAA, is pictured conducting a chant choir. The final picture shows some of the Colloquium participants on the last day, who had just sung the Missa Æterna Christi Munera of Palestrina, the chant propers of the day, and two motets—Nos autem gloriari by Palestrina, and a wonderful new setting of O sacrum convivium by one of the conductors of the week, Wilko Brouwers.

After the Mass, Dr. Buchholz conducted all the assembled participants in singing the Ave Maria of Bruckner.

Additional recordings

We also have these recordings from breakout sessions.

Dr. Cecilia MeeAe Nam on vocal training for aging voices:

Dr. William Mahrt on the chant modes: