As Bishop Barry C. Knestout noted in the previous edition of The Catholic Virginian, the time period immediately following the holiday season can be a wonderful time for retreat.
If roughly 30 of the nation’s Catholic musicians and music directors were expecting rejuvenation at the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians (CRCCM) Jan. 6-9, hosted at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond, they probably weren’t expecting the city’s water treatment plant to fail on the first day of the trip. For the duration of their visit, the metro area was without potable water.
The Virginia General Assembly opening session was delayed, businesses and schools closed, but CRCCM proceeded according to schedule.
Paul Thornock, director of music and the organist at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, Georgia, paraphrased Clark Griswold from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”: “Nobody’s leaving! No, we’re all in this together. We’re going to press on, and we’re going to have the hap- hap- happiest CRCCM ever.”
All jokes aside, said Dominican Father Vincent Bagan, director of music at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, the crisis couldn’t put a stopper in the joy he felt in being with others who have dedicated their lives to sacred music.
“It’s great to be with this group of august musicians,” said Father Bagan.
The annual conference is a chance for those musicians and music directors in highly visible roles to get together, learn from one another, and, said Patrick Schneider, director of music at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, “complain about the problems we face every day to the only other people who really understand.”
Glenn Schuster, former director of the diocesan choir in Madison, Wisconsin, added, “It’s good to be with people who understand the challenges of working at a cathedral.”
“You get to know everyone,” said Michael Accurso, director of music and liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, Georgia. “It’s a lot of the same people year after year.”
This year, a demonstration of the new gallery organ, built by Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders and installed in the cathedral during the summer of 2024, was a highlight of the conference agenda.
Organ concerts in the evening on Tuesday and Wednesday complemented a Wednesday morning tour led by Robin Côté, president of Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders, of the three instruments his manufacturer built for the cathedral. The tour followed a presentation by Carey Bliley, chair of the organ committee at the cathedral, detailing the process of proposing the project, selecting a builder, and raising funds.
“We are looking at an organ project sometime in our future, so being able to hear about what they did, what worked and what didn’t work, is very helpful,” said Schneider.
Brian Gurley, director of music and organist for St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was impressed by the work done by Bliley, Daniel Sáñez – director of music and liturgy at the cathedral – and others on the organ committee.
“I’m astonished with the integrity that this project seems to have had. A lot of committees, you’re trying to design a horse and end up with a camel,” said Gurley.
On the final day, Jan. 9, there was an opportunity for the visiting musicians to play the organ themselves.
“The new organ is phenomenal,” said Schuster. “You guys are so fortunate to have what you have here.”