HIS JUNE, a wonderful opportunity to sharpen your chanting skills is on offer in New York State. The third annual Wethersfield Institute Chant Workshop will be held from June 25-28, 2018 at a picturesque farm property that sits twenty-five miles northeast of Poughkeepsie, NY.
The focus of this workshop is training in the singing, teaching, and directing of Gregorian chant. The goals of the instructors will be: 1) to provide musical and theological instruction concerning chant, 2) to practice singing and leading chant in Latin and English, and 3) to help participants apply what they have learned to their concrete situation.
Meals and accommodations for participants will be in the historic Wethersfield House. Daily sung Masses and liturgical offices will be celebrated in the house chapel.
This year’s instructors are two Dominican friars of the Province of St. Joseph, Fr. Vincent Ferrer Bagan, O.P. and Fr. Charles Shonk, O.P. Both friars are experienced organists and choral singers.
Father Vincent Ferrer Bagan, O.P. holds an S.T.L. from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, an M.Mus. in sacred choral music from The Catholic University of America, and the B. Mus. in vocal music education from St. Olaf College. Currently, he teaches theology and music at Providence College in Rhode Island.
Father Charles Shonk, O.P. also received an S.T.L. from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, as well as a B.A. in Latin and Philosophy from Denison University. He presently serves as parochial vicar at St. Patrick Church in Columbus, OH.
Anyone interested in attending the Wethersfield Institute Chant Workshop in 2018 should consult the event flyer and complete the application available from the event website.