The Chorister and the Church of the Future
Models for Training Children and Youth in Sacred Choral Repertories
Friday, February 28, 2014 – Saturday March 1, 2014
University of Notre Dame Conference Center
McKenna Hall
Introduction:
The Chorister and the Church of the Future conference gathered conductors, scholars, educators, church musicians, and students to discuss ways to reinvigorate children's choral music in sacred settings from Cathedrals to local congregations. The assembled presenters hailed from across the country and Europe and represented church choirs, community choruses, universities, public schools, and private charter academies. Our goal was to share ideas and disseminate the collective knowledge of our guests with Notre Dame graduate students, regional music educators, and church musicians.
Everyone has a story about a song from his or her childhood. Ask a musician about their early artistic influences and many will recall that special individual whose teaching opened up new worlds of understanding. So too will many worshippers recall a special moment or service in which a pastoral musician was able to enliven the worship and make a difference in her or his prayer lives as children or youth. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, virtually all documented composers of the western world were trained as child choristers.
This forum united leading authorities in the training and formation of children's choirs to raise questions that concern the preservation and future growth of children's sacred choral music within religious institutions and concert halls of the future. Our assembly of presenters broke down barriers that often divide scholars from practitioners and performers from parishioners in search of answers.
Guest Presenters:
Jonathan Q. Berryman – Director of Music at Messiah Baptist Church
Title: “Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow”: Working with Children’s Choirs
Dr. Lorenzo Candelaria – University of Texas-El Paso
Title: “Passionately Loving the New World: Catholic Formation through Song and Dance in Missionary Mexico”
Shawn Crouch - Founding Director of the Miami Choral Academy
Title: The Miami Choral Academy: An Alternative Model for Public Choral Education
Dr. Brent Gault – Associate Professor of Music Education, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
Title: Music Learning in the Children's Choral Rehearsal
Dr. Mary Goetze – Professor Emerita, Indiana University; Founder of the Indiana University Children's Choir
Title: Building Bridges Between Cultures through Music
Josephine Lee – President and Artistic Director of the Chicago Children's Choir
Melanie Malinka – Director of Music; The Madeleine Choir School
Title: A Choir Director's Guide to Developing Healthy Vocal Habits in Young Singers
Sue Ellen Page - Director of Choirs for Children and Youth; Nassau Presbyterian Church
Title: A Singing Faith - Children and Youth Leading the Way: From Congregational Song to Chancel Drama
Carolyn Pirtle - Assistant Director of the Center for Liturgy; University of Notre Dame
Title: "From the Mouths of Children": The Role of the Children's Choir in the New Evangelization
Benjamin Saunders - Director of Music at Leeds Cathedral; Diocesan Director of Music. Diocese of Leeds, UK
Title: Leeds Cathedral Choral Programme
Jan Schmidt – Executive Director of American Federation of Pueri Cantores
Title: Pueri Cantores: Rome to Riverside-One Voice at a Time
Lauren Southard - Director of Outreach and Early Childhood Programs, Indianapolis Children's Choir
Title: Special Education Adaptations in Choral Music Settings
Co-hosts and Presenters:
Dr. Margot Fassler – Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Music History and Liturgy; Director of the Program in Sacred Music, University of Notre Dame
Title: "Alleluia! A Historic Repertory and New Possibilities for Teaching Children and Congregations"
Dr. Mark Doerries - Artistic Director of the Notre Dame Children’s Choir, Post-Doctoral Fellow of Interdisciplinary Conducting; Sacred Music at Notre Dame
Title: Children Training Music Directors to Train Children: The Notre Dame Chilren's Choir and Tomorrow's Church Music Leaders
Sponsors:
Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, Henkel's Lecture Series
Sacred Music at Notre Dame
Guest Performances:
Friday February 28, 2014 at 7:00PM
Notre Dame Children's Choir
Church of Our Lady of Loretto, Saint Mary's College,
Free and open to the Public
Saturday March 1, 2014 at 7:30PM
Kronos Quartet
DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, University of Notre Dame
Tickets Required: performingarts.nd.edu