Views from the Choir Loft

Choral Scholarships at Christendom College

Veronica Moreno · February 17, 2020

EXT FALL, there will be two voice scholarships available: one for a woman (soprano or alto); and one one-semester scholarship (Spring Semester) for a man (tenor or bass).  The one-year scholarship for a woman will consist of $4,500 in tuition reduction and free voice lessons throughout the year. The one-semester scholarship for a man will consist of $2,250 in tuition reduction and free voice lessons for the semester.

Specifics can be found at this link:

* URL Link • St. Cecilia Choral Scholarship
—Contains much more info regarding this Christendom scholarship

The recipient is expected to attend sectional and full rehearsals throughout the year, sing at the Sunday Mass, the First Friday Holy Hour, help out at weekday Masses, sing in the Palestrina chamber choir and perform other duties that will be discussed at the interview.

Students will need to submit an audition video of one piece by March 6, 2020 and, if selected, will come to campus as a finalist to audition in person on Saturday, March 28.  If there are any questions, you should contact Dr. Kurt Poterack at: kpoterack@christendom.edu

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

About Veronica Moreno

Veronica Moreno is married to a teacher and homeschools five children. She has been cantor at her local Catholic parish for over a decade.—(Read full biography).

6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski

2 January 2021 • Temptation

When I see idiotic statements made on the internet, I go nuts. When I see heretics promoted by people who should know better, I get angry. Learning to ignore such items is difficult—very difficult. I try to remember the words of Fr. Valentine Young: “Do what God places in front of you each day.” When I am honest, I don’t believe God wants me to dwell on errors and idiocy; there’s nothing I can do about that. During 2021, I will strive to do a better job following the advice of Fr. Valentine.

—Jeff Ostrowski

31 December 2020 • “COMITES CHRISTI”

The feasts for Saint Stephen Proto-Martyr (26 December), Saint John the Evangelist The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (27 December), and the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December) seem untouched by any liturgical reforms. These are very powerful feasts—I believe they once possessed octaves—and I believe they could sometimes “overpower” a Sunday feast. The rules for octaves in the olden days are extremely complex. These feasts are sometimes referred to as a single entity as: Comites Christi (“Companions of Christ”). This is just a guess, but there seems to be a triple significance: STEPHEN martyred after Christ lived, JOHN was a martyr who knew Christ personally, and the HOLY INNOCENTS were martyred before Christ’s birth.

—Jeff Ostrowski