Sacred Music Institute at MTSM Hosts Third Annual Conference

Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology is hosting the third annual Sacred Music Institute Conference this week, July 21-23.

This year’s conference, Beauty Ever Ancient, Ever New:  Tradition and the Sacred Music Treasury, will focus on the meaning of tradition in regards to Catholic Church music and provide an educational resource for pastors and musicians that is both practical and intellectual.

The SMI features three sacred music experts who speak at the conference. Andrew R. Motyka and Alexis Kazimira Kutarna will both lead breakout sessions while Adam Bartlett will give the keynote lecture.

Motyka currently serves as the Director of Archdiocesan and Cathedral Liturgical Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, where he is the principal organist at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, along with directing the Cathedral Choir, the Archdiocesan Choir and the Archdiocesan schola cantorum, Vox Sacra. He also serves as chair of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Music Commission.

He holds an M.M. in Sacred Music from the Catholic University of America, after studying music education at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. Prior to moving to Indianapolis, Motyka served as organist and music director at parishes in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Kutarna is the music director and an assistant principal at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School. As a core instructor for the Master of Sacred Music program, she teaches courses on the liturgy and liturgical music at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.

She earned the Master of Arts in Liturgy at The Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary and holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in music, as well as a Performer’s Certificate. Kutarna is a Ph.D. Candidate in Liturgical Studies with a concentration in Church Music at the University of Vienna, Austria.

Bartlett is a national speaker, teacher, writer and clinician on topics of liturgy, music and the new evangelization. He served as a parish and cathedral music director for more than 10 years and as a faculty member for both Liturgical Institute and Mundelein Seminary of the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois. In addition, he is an adjunct faculty member for the Augustine Institute and a sacred music consultant for FOCUS.

He received his bachelor’s degree in Music from Arizona State University and his master’s degree in Liturgical Studies from the Liturgical Institute of the University of St. Mary of the Lake.

The mission of the SMI is to provide a center for both public musical performance and educational outreach in the realm of Catholic sacred music. The Institute serves Catholic dioceses across the region by providing events and resources to those interested in and passionate about sacred music.

MTSM is the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s graduate-level Catholic Seminary and School of Theology with nearly 200 full and part-time students. Founded in 1829, our 75-acre campus provides preparation for ordination to the priesthood and permanent diaconate as part of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary. In addition, our School of Theology offers classes for graduate, non-degree and certification programs for laity, clergy and religious.

For additional information about MTSM, please contact advancement@athenaeum.edu or 513-231-2223.