Composer’s first Mass to debut

October 17 will be a day that Frank La Rocca won’t soon forget. On that date the composer’s first Mass, “Missa Cordi Sacro,” will debut at his parish church, St. Margaret Mary in Oakland, during 12:30 p.m. Extraordinary Form High Mass.

His new composition has deep meaning for La Rocca, who returned to the Catholic Church during Lent 2009 after a lengthy absence. “The composition and debut of this work is an occasion of tremendous personal and spiritual satisfaction to me,” he told The Voice.

“My musical style is focused on reconciling tradition with modernity, and a Mass is in many ways the perfect vehicle for that sort of effort,” he said.

The parish’s Chorus Magnificat, a mixed schola for the singing of Gregorian Chant under the direction of Brenda Bonhomme, will sing the Mass. David Sundahl will play the organ.

The Mass is dedicated to Father Jean Marie Moreau, the Episcopal Delegate for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite in the Oakland Diocese. The priest, in residence at St. Margaret Mary, served as spiritual advisor to La Rocca’s wife, Lucia, when she converted to Catholicism about the same time La Rocca returned to the Church.

“We both feel profound love and gratitude for all he has done and continues to do and I wanted to honor him in some way that reflects his unique mission in our parish,” said La Rocca

A longtime music professor at California State University East Bay, La Rocca was recently awarded second prize in the 2010 International Sacred Arts Composer Competition for his a capella composition, “Credo.”