N LATE JUNE, I will be joining my fellow Corpus Christi Watershed contributor, Dr. Charles Weaver, as a faculty member for the CMAA COLLOQUIUM being held at the University of Illinois. Dr. Weaver is a full professor at the Juilliard school of music (considered by some as North America’s preëminent conservatory). I’m pleased to be teaching a class called Fundamentals for Men and Women, a Gregorian chant course intended for real chant beginners—both those who can read modern notation and those with no musical training. In the past, both Dr. Weaver and I have served as faculty for the CCW Symposium, but I’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting him in person. (Needless to say, I’ve noted assiduously his articles on Views from the Choir Loft.)
CMAA Summer • The CMAA (Church Music Association of America) has released their upcoming “in-person” events for 2024. The Saint John Newman Center in Champaign, Illinois, will host the Colloquium this summer. Their newly-renovated chapel is lovely, as evidenced by the photos of some of the aspects of the renovation. I encourage you to check out the events I’ve assembled below.
CMAA Summer Courses
June 18-22, 2024 (Champaign, IL)
Their Summer Courses will have three options this year.
- Chant Intensive, to be taught by Jeffrey Morse, of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Phoenix, AZ.
- Vocal Intensive, to be taught by Dr. MeeAe Cecilia Nam, of Eastern Michigan University
- Organ Improvisation, to be taught by Dr. Horst Buchholz, Director of Music, Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Diocese of Detroit
For the Vocal Intensive course, we will be limiting attendance to no more than 15 registrants. For the Organ Improvisation, we can accept no more than 5 registrants. The three courses will share breaks and meals, as well as working toward the culmination of the courses with a closing Mass in the lovely chapel. Chant Intensive students will prepare the Mass Ordinary and Proper Chants; Vocal Intensive will prepare polyphonic pieces; Organ Improvisation will prepare the prelude, postlude and any other Mass improvisation needed for the liturgy. Get all the details of the courses at this URL, as well as access to registration
CMAA Colloquium
June 24-29, 2024 (Champaign, IL)
Our 34th Annual Sacred Music Colloquium will feature the following plenary speakers for 2024:
- Bishop Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop of Columbus, OH
- Gregory DiPippo, Managing Editor, New Liturgical Movement
- Dr. William P. Mahrt, Editor, Sacred Music, President of CMAA
Join the CMAA for a wonderful six days of learning, singing, praying and laughing together as we work on chant and polyphony with an outstanding faculty. Dormitory housing and meals will be on-site at the Newman Center facilities, as well as all sessions. This may be the most convenient of all our Colloquium locations to date! The repertory will include chanted Mass Ordinaries, Propers, and office hymns, as well as a variety of polyphonic works, including the Duruflé Requiem when we pray for all deceased CMAA Members. With liturgies in the Novus Ordo (in English, Spanish, and Latin), as well as the Usus antiquior, experience the full range of the Roman Rite with reverence and the best we can offer in worship of God. For all the details about the schedule, faculty, registration and housing, visit the website for the CMAA Colloquium.
