Gregorian Chant Workshop in South Florida
  • Musica Sacra Florida is happy to announce:

    Gregorian Chant Workshop
    Sponsored by the Florida Chapter of the Church Music Association of America
    in conjunction with the
    Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences
    at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale
    Friday, March 6th – Saturday, March 7th, 2009

    Detailed scheduled and brochure

    This two-day workshop will present both beginning and advanced musicians with rehearsals and lectures that will enrich their knowledge of Gregorian chant and its use in the Roman Catholic liturgy.

    Led by a faculty of chant specialists from around the state, attendees will learn more about the history of Gregorian chant and its role in the liturgy as well as experience the chant in the context of both the Divine Office and the Mass. Beginning chanters will be introduced to the basics of notation and rhythm according to the Solesmes method. Experienced chanters will learn new repertoire and advance their understanding of rhythmic and interpretive nuance. Resources and practical methods for the cultivation of Gregorian chant in the life of the parish will also be discussed.

    This workshop is ideal for choir members, parish music directors, music students, teachers, parents, seminarians and anyone who is interested in learning about the heritage of sacred music within the Roman Catholic Church.

    Registration fees are $35 and include the price of instructional materials and instruction. Participants are responsible for all their meals and housing during the conference. Payment is due upon arrival at the conference.

    Pre-registration is required.
    Deadline: Friday, February 27th, 2009
    Register at: www.musicasacra.com/florida

    Contact Information :
    Jennifer Donelson
    (954) 262-7610 or jd1120 AT nsu.nova.edu

    Faculty:
    Susan Treacy – Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, FL
    Michael O’Connor – Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, FL
    Mary Jane Ballou – St. Augustine Schola Cantorae, St. Augustine, FL
    Jennifer Donelson – Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • Michael, et al:
    This is spectacular!
    This is hardly the Dukes of Hazzard version of Florida I fled almost 30 years ago!
  • We are still but a very small island in a sea of @#$%!.

    Mike
  • Peninsula. Peninsula. Oops, I was channeling (oops redux, pun) Miss Robbiano's 10th grade Geography class (One who was there in '67 will never forget Miss Robbiano, tho' she did irreparable damage to us all by marrying the gym teacher in my junior year, sigh.)
    Mike, you were talking metaphorically, oui? I'm not sure what noun you precisely meant by "@#$%!." but MJB did provide quite the scenario for the Floridian dioceses' (darn, another difficult word!) liturgical kaleidoscope.
  • Let's just say that S Florida is a liturgical super fund site. There is hope, though. There are some priests in our diocese who want to do great things, but they are not in charge of parishes at the moment.
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 993
    Likewise in N Florida. There's promise out there. It's a matter of holding on.
  • In any case we are going to have a super time that weekend. Just think of it... Warm weather in March, a chance to hang with Jenny, Mary Jane (and yeah, me too). If you are well experienced and show up Friday evening, we can work you into the Vespers that evening. Also, BONUS. If you stick around for Sunday, you can sing an EF Mass for Lent I with the Schola of the Palm Beaches! And wait, there's more! Actually, no there isn't, but this is a lot, really.
  • If anyone is looking for a cheap-ish hotel for Friday night of the conference, Mike has some information. You'll need to act fast, though, as the block of rooms will only be held until the end of this week.
  • The conference registration deadline has been extended to Wednesday, March 4th.

    To register, please visit: www.musicasacra.com/florida.
  • Causing Good Things to happen in Florida is not aiding my life-long stereotype of the Sunshine State as a place of impermanence and superficiality. I say this in all charity, as a 10th-generation Floridian! (Look at the Menorcan monument next to Saint Augustine Cathedral: I'm one of the 'Mestre' clan). But seriously--Godspeed to all good music and liturgy!
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 993
    Oh no, not a Minorcan! I arranged and recorded the Fromajadas on my St. Augustine harp album. Daniel, I'll go and look you up on the monument.

    And if you're worried about too many Good Things happening, we just had a Dan Schutte concert and workshop at Marywood Retreat Center in Jacksonville. On the other hand, a call for new singers for my women's schola brought in more responses than I can handle (ok - about 8 women, of whom 3 have been added and possibly one more).
  • Wonderful news about the new schola members, mj... good luck with it...
  • Hi all,

    Just got back from Mass in Miami. The workshop went quite well this weekend. Jenny Donelson did a bang up job of organizing this. Susan Treacy was her usual wonderful self and all the participants seemed to have a good time. I was privileged to get to work with some excellent men chanters. My part was easy!
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    wonderful! I hope a full report is forthcoming.
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 993
    Congratulations from Northeast Florida!
  • Very nice conference wrap-up at your center for Florida chant news, Musica Sacra Florida (by Jenny Donelson)

    http://musicasacraflorida.wordpress.com/
  • Yeah, forgot to html. Thanks Jeff
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    np