Sacred Music Institute

Sacred Music Institute

The Sacred Music Institute (SMI) at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology (MTSM) provides a center for both public musical performance and educational outreach in the realm of Catholic sacred music. The Institute serves parishes, priests and musicians in Catholic dioceses across the region by providing events and resources to those interested in and passionate about sacred music.

The Institute sponsors the Music & Liturgy performance series at MTSM, an annual summer conference – which will celebrate its fifth year in July 2025 – and courses and lectures focusing on important topics in sacred music.

At the center of the SMI will stand Pasi Opus 29, our new organ which was installed in Summer 2023 and blessed and dedicated on October 8, 2023. This instrument will support and accompany the liturgies and performances at MTSM.

Join us for our sung liturgies and choral concerts in our musical home: The Chapel of St. Gregory the Great. Our performances will feature both the Athenaeum Chorale and Mount St. Mary’s Latin Schola, as well as some of the finest instrumentalists in Cincinnati. Come take in the beauty of the space and the glorious sounds we are offering this season.

Sunday, October 6, 2024 • 7 p.m.
Solemn Vespers and Choral Concert of Sacred Music
Athenaeum Chorale
Mount St. Mary’s Latin Schola
Featuring works by Franck, Dalby, Mawby and Grieg

Sunday, November 10, 2024 • 7 p.m.
Organ Recital
Amanda Mole
Program featuring works by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Pachelbel, Weckmann, Gringy and Bach.

Sunday, December 8, 2024 • 7:30 p.m.
Solemn Vespers on the Eve of the Immaculate Conception
Athenaeum Chorale
Mount St. Mary’s Latin Schola

Sunday, February 16, 2025 • 7 p.m.
Solemn Vespers & Organ Recital
Dr. Nicole Simental, guest organist
Mount St. Mary’s Latin Schola

Sunday, April 6, 2025 • 7:30 p.m.
Solemn Passiontide Vespers
Mount St. Mary’s Latin Schola

Sunday, April 27, 2025 • 7 p.m.
Eastertide Choral Mass
Athenaeum Chorale
Mount St. Mary’s Latin Schola

2025 Sacred Music Institute Conference

Save the dates for the 2025 Sacred Music Institute Conference, July 23-25, 2025. The theme for 2025 will be ‘Beautifying the World: The Vocation of the Liturgical Musician’.

The SMI will offer its fifth annual conference for priests and church musicians. The conference features keynote lectures, breakout sessions, choir rehearsals and sung liturgies in which all attendees will participate. This conference has become a popular event for those interested in renewing their parish music programs and is already bearing great fruit in the Cincinnati area and beyond.

More information will be announced at a later date.


Blessing and Dedication of Pasi Opus 29
On October 8, 2023, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology (MTSM) welcomed a capacity audience into the Chapel of St. Gregory the Great for the blessing and dedication of its new pipe organ, Pasi Opus 29. The evening, with MTSM President/Rector The Very Rev. Anthony R. Brausch as presider, featured performances by The Athenaeum Chorale, The Athenaeum Chorale Chamber Orchestra and The Mount St. Mary’s Seminary Latin Schola. In addition, MTSM welcomed Dr. Michael Unger from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music as the Guest Organist.

See more on the evening below!

Athenaeum Magazine | Pasi Opus 29: A New Era of Sacred Music Begins
MTSM Welcomes Pasi Opus 29 at Organ Blessing and Dedication