Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast

Juilliard-trained James Wetzel is one of the most respected Catholic church musicians in New York City. In this episode, we ask James about his work as the director of music and organist at the Dominican parish of Saint Vincent Ferrer and Saint Catherine of Siena. His professional Schola Cantorum is renowned for keeping very much alive the “Church’s treasure of sacred music” for the worship of God in the sacred liturgy. James also shares his perspective and advice on how priests and music directors can take steps to build up the sacred music programs at parishes.   James’ Biography James D. Wetzel is the Director of Music and Organist of the Parish of Saint Vincent Ferrer and Saint Catherine of Siena on Manhattan’s Upper East Side where he directs the professional Schola Cantorum in over 70 services annually. James served from 2010-2015 as the Organist and Choirmaster of midtown’s Church of Saint Agnes and from 2011-2016 was an adjunct lecturer in Hunter College’s music department. Since 2010, he has also bee

Rev. Fr. Jude Orakwe is a lecturer at the music department of Anambra State University (a.k.a. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University). He is also the founder and director of Shanahan Institute of Music of Onitsha Archdiocese (for adults) as well as of the George Handel Music Academy (for the children) of St. Joseph’s Parish Odoakpu Onitsha. He directs the Archdiocesan choir and is also the music director of St. Joseph’s Parish Choir. Fr. Orakwe has his doctorate in ethnomusicology from Indiana University, Bloomington, United States, as well as a Master’s degree in Sacred Music from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music Rome, Italy. In this episode, we discuss Fr. Jude Orakwe’s musical initiatives in Nigeria, his personal experiences of music and faith, and also aspects of musical and liturgical inculturation. If you would like to financially support Fr. Jude Orakwe’s musical initiatives you can do so via Paypal, either at jorakwe@indiana.edu or jatomaria@gmail.com.

For this episode, we are joined by the renowned Catholic composer Kevin Allen. Kevin has written a large repertoire of sacred choral music for the Church’s liturgy and shares with us his insights into creating new works of art for the liturgy, as well as his advice for Catholic artists today. Kevin Allen’s O Sacrum Convivium Kevin Allen’s Domine Non Sum Dignus Kevin Allen’s sheet music Kevin Allen’s on Facebook Kevin Allen’s choir, Schola Laudis

We’re joined by Philadelphia musician and educator Lisa Knutson for a discussion of the Jesuit missions in South America and how the missionary spirit, artistic craftsmanship, and education in beauty offered by the Jesuits in the 17th century can inspire the heart of the modern missionary to bring Christ to the poor through sacred music and music education. The Zipoli Institute has a lot of great resources available for musicians, especially for those working with Spanish-language choirs and liturgies. Check out the work of Lisa and her husband Nathan in the Zipoli Institute here: https://domenicozipoli.org This article from the New York Times on the legacy of the music education of the Jesuits in Bolivia is also an interesting glimpse into the continuing fruits of the work of the missionaries: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/world/americas/bolivia-baroque-music.html And here are some great recordings of the music of Domenico Zipoli, SJ: Vespers for the Feast of St. Ignatius: https://www.youtube.com/watch

Episode 7 – The Role of Sacred Art in Evangelization and Church Patronage of Art – with Dr. Elizabeth Lev This episode is an exploration of how the Church has used art and beauty to evangelize in the past and how it can do so again today. Dr. Elizabeth Lev is a renowned art historian and dynamic speaker who communicates the awesome power of religious art and why becoming aware of this power is so important for the Church and the world today. We discuss her recently published book, How Catholic Art Saved the Faith, and how music, like the visual arts, can lead people to understand and love the truths of the Faith by presenting them with artistic beauty. Buy How Catholic Art Saved the Faith at Sophia Institute or Amazon Dr. Elizabeth Lev’s website: elizabeth-lev.com Twitter: twitter.com/lizlevrome

On today’s episode, we’ll look at how choristers learned music in times past. Our guest is Charles Weaver. Charlie is on the faculty at the Juilliard School, where he teaches performance practice on plucked instruments. He has performed with Quicksilver, Piffaro, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Folger Consort, Apollo's Fire, Blue Heron, Musica Pacifica, the New York Continuo Collective, and Tenet. He is the associate schola director at the Church of St. Mary in Norwalk, Connecticut, where he has worked in the past with the student schola program, and where he continues to sing and do some directing with the St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum, specializing in Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian chant. He is also known for his careful and excellent preparation of performing editions from original manuscripts. More information about the St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum is available here: http://www.stmarynorwalk.net/music/ A recent project for a historically-informed performance of the Monteverdi 1610 Vespers

Our guest for episode 5 is Fr. Cassian Folsom, OSB, from the Benedictine Monastery in Norcia, Italy. We’ll be discussing with him how singing Gregorian chant forms the spiritual life of the monks through the daily prayer of the Divine Office and the Mass. We also touch on the role of Gregorian chant in the spiritual life of lay people, and its role in parish music programs. Fr. Cassian is American-born and studied music prior to entering the monastic community of St. Meinrad in Indiana. In 1998, he founded his monastic community in Rome. The community eventually moved to Norcia in 2000. Being steeped in medieval monastic tradition, the monastery is known not only for its 2015 best-selling CD Benedicta: Marian Chant from Norcia, but also for its production of artisan beer. The monastery’s website is: https://en.nursia.org Buy the monks’ CD “Benedicta: Marian Chant from Norcia” here: https://www.amazon.com/BENEDICTA-Marian-Chant-Norcia-Monks/dp/B00V66GNMQ Buy the monks’ beer here: https://birranursia.com

In our fourth episode, we are joined by Professor William Mahrt of Stanford University who gives an introduction to the history, music, liturgical role, and spiritual value of Gregorian chant. Dr Mahrt is the president of the Church Music Association of America (the CMAA), and the editor of Sacred Music, the journal of the CMAA. He’s a respected scholar of Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony who’s published numerous articles, and he also publishes a really helpful and interesting editorial in each issue of Sacred Music. More than all that, though, Professor Mahrt is a man who loves the sacred liturgy and its music, and has spent decades learning how to pray through the Church’s treasury of sacred music. He’s inspired countless people, your hosts of this podcast included, to really learn what the Church teaches about sacred music, and how these teachings lead us into the heart of the sacred liturgy as the communal encounter between man and the Blessed Trinity. Dr. Mahrt’s book can be downloaded for free

Episode 3 – The Role of Sacred Music in Catholic Education – with Charles Cole We take an inside look at a British choir school, and discuss the role of sacred music in an authentically Catholic education. You’ve already heard just a bit of his work as a listener to this podcast; he’s the director of the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School singing the opening track for our show. Charles Cole began his musical training as a chorister at Westminster Cathedral. He went on to win a major music scholarship to Ampleforth and organ scholarships at Exeter College of Oxford and Westminster Cathedral. He is Assistant Director of Music at Brompton Oratory where he directs the London Oratory Junior Choir which, in addition to its liturgical duties, provides the Children’s Chorus for the Royal Ballet’s productions at Covent Garden. In addition, he is Director of the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School, a choir of boys aged 8-18 which sings the Saturday evening mass at Brompton Oratory, as well as concert

Episode 2 – Beauty and Catholic Culture: a Story of Conversion – with Vida and Josh Hernandez In our second episode, we look at the power of beauty to draw people to Christ and the Catholic faith. We interview two of Dr. Donelson’s dear friends who encountered the radiance and power of Christ in the sacred liturgy, in sacred music, and through an immersion in literature and Catholic culture. Vida and Josh Hernandez were received into the Catholic Church in 2010 after a profound conversion experience and they join us to share their story. We reference an article in Crisis magazine by Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska in the interview. Check out the article here: https://www.crisismagazine.com/2013/ever-ancient-ever-new-the-role-of-beauty-in-the-restoration-of-catholic-culture

In our inaugural episode, we interview His Excellency, Archbishop Alexander K. Sample, Archbishop of Portland, Oregon.  We give a brief introduction to the show and ourselves before diving into the interview.  Archbishop Alexander Sample was appointed Bishop of Marquette on December 13, 2005, by Pope Benedict XVI, and then the Archbishop of Portland at the beginning of 2013. The Archbishop has degrees in engineering and canon law. He serves on the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, the Sub-Committee on the Catechism, and is on the Board of Trustees for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and Oregon Catholic Press. His love for the sacred liturgy and sacred music were nurtured by the great Msgr. Richard Schuler of Saint Agnes Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Archbishop has become known for his eloquence and pastoral ability in teaching about sacred music and the liturgy. Since we recorded this episode, the Archbishop has released a pastoral letter on sacred music for the Archdiocese of Portla