At St Benedict Abbey, Still River, MA
I am happy to promote the New England Sacred Music Workshop 2026, offered in conjunction with St Benedict Abbey. The workshop focuses on both chant and polyphony, offering expert tuition for singers, and talks on the connections between sacred music and the liturgy. The setting is beautiful Still River, near Harvard (not to be confused with the less important university of the same name), the site of the abbey, in rural Massachusetts, about 50 miles west of Boston. I have a fondness for this community: when I was on the faculty of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, I regularly attended Mass and Divine Office there, and took groups of students to experience the beautiful, chanted, Latin liturgy. To learn more and register, follow this link.
Here is the information that I received from the organizers:
New England Sacred Music and St. Benedict Abbey are pleased to invite you to a two-and-a-half-day sacred music workshop in beautiful Still River, Massachusetts. This workshop is designed for advanced singers and directors who wish to delve further into neumatic interpretation, and for intermediate singers who are looking to broaden their understanding of the repertoire.
Rehearsals and classes will be taught by faculty with a breadth of experience teaching and directing sacred music in monasteries, cathedrals, and parishes of all sizes. Lauds and Vespers will be chanted each day with the monks. In addition to all of the chant propers, participants will sing several motets at the two Masses: one Friday evening and one on Saturday at noon. Both masses will be at the magnificent St. Cecilia Church in Leominster.
Faculty:
- David Hughes (Denver, Colorado): Advanced Chant
- Samuel Schmitt (Bridgeport, Connecticut): Refresher Chant
- Christopher Berry (St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, California): Polyphony
Speakers:
- Fr. Leo Camurati, OP (New York, New York)
- Fr. Peter Connelly, OSB (St. Benedict Abbey)
Cost:
EARLY BIRD PRICE ( Sep 3 - Sep 21 )
- $200 per participant (Includes all workshop materials and six meals. Does not include lodging.)
REGULAR PRICE ( Sep 21 - Oct 8 )
- $250 per participant (Includes all workshop materials and six meals. Does not include lodging.)
- We are eager to encourage students and parish choirs to attend. To that end, we will offer a generous 50% discount per person for any parish that sends more than five choristers, or any school (secondary or college) that sends more than ten students.
- We are also eager to invite religious and clergy to attend, and are providing a 50% discount for religious and a 25% discount for clergy.
Lodging:
Saint Benedict Abbey is unable to provide lodging for participants. If you are local, we suggest you commute to and from the abbey. Otherwise, the following hotels are in close proximity:
Contact:
Registration:
- Please register at the following link: newenglandsacredmusic.org/register
Early Bird registration is now open until September 21 (the feast of St. Matthew)! On September 21, the standard registration price will increase to $250 and will remain open until 5:00PM EST on October 8, one week prior to the workshop. We will accept registration at the door on Thursday, October 15 for $250.
For more details, please visit
our Facebook page! We’ll be posting details about the daily schedule and repertoire in the coming days. Be sure to follow us, like the event, and share it with your friends!
