Sir James MacMillan and Paul Jernberg, both internationally renowned Catholic composers, will be present. Eight Conducting Fellows will receive premium podium experience at the helm of a 16-voice professional choir and hands-on instruction from master pedagogues Dr. James Jordan and Dr. Timothy McDonnell.  The Conducting Institute's music list will represent various sacred music genres drawn from classic and contemporary choral repertories, Gregorian chant, and traditional hymnody.   This is organised by Peter Carter's Catholic Sacred Music Project in partnership with, among oth ..read more

I am often asked by people about the sort of training that they should undertake in order to become an artist. In response I explain that in my understanding the training should involve not only obtaining the necessary technical skills but also the formation of the person in virtue so that they are capable of directing those skills well. Not many are surprised by that I imagine. However, many assume that if they are faithful and orthodox Catholics then they have the spiritual aspect already sorted out, and so all they need to think about is the skills. I am not so sure that this is automatical ..read more

Catholic Sacred Music Project Choral Institute, June 9-15, Princeton, NJ You will sing the music of world-renowned composers Sir James MacMillan and Paul Jernberg of the Magnificat Institute. Catholic Sacred Music Project partnering with the Scala Foundation. More information at sacredmusicproject.org Those of you who attended the wonderful Sarum Vespers, also sponsored by Scala Foundation and organised by the CSMP, which took place at Princeton University Chapel, will remember the heavenly singing of Gabriel Crouch's early music group, Gallicantus, and Gabriel's inspiring talk before the even ..read more

Do you want to learn how to compose beautiful sacred music? Scala, for whom I serve as Artist-in-Residence is pleased to partner with The Catholic Sacred Music Project in three events in Princeton in the summer of 2024 to revitalize the culture of beautiful music: a program for composers, a program for choral conductors, and a program for choral singers. These incredible programs are led by Peter Carter and include instruction by world-renowned musicians such as Sir James MacMillan, Gabriel Crouch, Paul Jernberg, James Jordan and Timothy McDonnell. The CSMP Choral and Composition Institutes oc ..read more

I present below the video of the Vespers and Benediction from March 1, 2024, at the Princeton University Chapel. I have never seen a more complete harmony of words, music, art and architecture in my life. The music by 16th-century English composers Thomas Tallis and Robert White was sung magnificently by Gabriel Crouch and Gallicantus, an early music group. The Magnificat, by White, can be heard at the 39-minute mark. The second video is of the three short talks that preceded the Vespers. The first, by James Griffin of the Durandus Institute, explained the history of the Sarum Use. I gave the ..read more

My friend, Fr Andrew Marlborough, (whom some readers will be aware of through his writing on this site about the recovery of liturgical artifacts from action houses) recently contacted about a portable altar he had made for personal use. I asked him to describe the process and how consideration of the different requirements that went into the design of altar. Fr Andrew is a priest of the Diocese of Plymouth, in England. The carpenter who built the altar is Dutch, his name is Daan Lockefeer: www.lockefeermeubelmaker.nl. When asked to help at a university chaplaincy, I was shocked to ..read more

I have been asked this question many times recently. Most who ask it are worried that it will have a detrimental effect on the sacred art that we see in our churches and homes. My response is that while AI may pose many great problems in other aspects of human life, I think that its impact on sacred art will be either negligible or positive. An AI generated Simeon and Jesus I don't believe that it is possible for AI to create art that is of the right quality, no matter how good the technology is because authentic sacred art relies on inspiration from God for its originality. AI is not open to ..read more

Twelve months ago I wrote a post about and excellent online resource for chanting the Office at home, SingtheOffice.com. Now, it is even better as it has been upgraded so as to provide daily Offices from the English prayerbook tradition, fully pointed for Gregorian chant, and compliant with the rubrics of Divine Worship: Daily Office (Commonwealth Edition) of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. You can read about the changeshere. It provides all the Propers as well as the Ordinary for Morning Prayer,  Evening Prayer, and Compline. The is access to recordings of every ..read more

Here is another in a series of occasional articles. It comes again from Fr Andrew Marlborough who prior to joining seminary worked in the world of art sales. The hope through these articles is to raise awareness of the sort of liturgical artifacts that might be found in auction houses, so that more can be saved for Church use. Fr Andrew writes: There continues to be an overwhelming amount of Catholic sacred art appearing on the auction market. Dozens and dozens of sacred vessels, monstrances, relics, vestments, and other items appear at auction every week across Europe and America. Although al ..read more

There will be a solemn choral Vespers according to the medieval Use of Sarum on March 1st in the beautiful neo-gothic chapel of Princeton University. The service of Vespers and Benediction is to be co-sponsored by Scala Foundation, and is organized by our great friend Peter Carter of the Catholic Sacred Music Project, who is also the choir director for the Aquinas Institute of Princeton University which is hosting the event. Some of you will remember Peter directing the choir that led us in prayer at the Scala Foundation conference in Princeton last spring. The music on this occ ..read more