The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California is delighted to present our Fall 2025 term Sacred Music Study Day, to be offered entirely in Spanish.
Saturday, November 22, 2025
St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, California
8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The event features:
- Rehearsals featuring music participants can take home to their congregations (chant, polyphony, and hymns)
- The opportunity to learn music we can sing together at Mass
- An extended session on developing and teaching healthy vocal technique
- Solemn Mass, sung by participants, celebrated by His Excellency, Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco
- Catechesis on the role of sacred music in the spiritual life
- An opportunity to go to confession
- Lunch, refreshments, and fellowship with area musicians
The event is designed especially for:
- Parish music directors
- Parish choir members
- Cantors
- Clergy
Singers and music directors of all ability levels will find the event enriching and worthwhile. Group registration rates and scholarships are available.
I’m especially delighted to be joined by two wonderful musicians and teachers who will lead the working sessions in Spanish.
Please invite anyone interested in learning in Spanish to this event! Questions about the event registration and scholarships can be sent to mary (dot) vianney (at) stpsu (dot) edu.
Christian Cortés is a Catholic sacred music director and family man. He is originally from Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico. Christian’s professional achievements developed primarily in Mexico, especially in Guadalajara, Jalisco, where he lived for the past fifteen years. His professional interests focus on teaching sacred music, especially choral singing to amateur children and adults.
Christian holds a degree in Gregorian Chant from the Escuela Superior de Música Sagrada of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara and a Bachelor of Music with a focus on Choral Conducting from the University of Guadalajara. He completed postgraduate studies in Liturgical Musical Heritage at the University of Barcelona and the Ateneo de Saint Pacia in Barcelona. He has also completed additional studies, such as a Diploma in Theology at the Universidad del Valle de Atemajac in Guadalajara, and has studied organ, singing, and choral conducting at various seminaries and master classes in Mexico and Spain.
His achievements include the renewal of sacred music in various churches and institutions in Michoacán and Jalisco where he has worked, emphasizing the recovery of traditional Hispanic liturgical and devotional hymns, community singing in Latin, classical polyphony, and Gregorian chant for adult and youth choirs, as well as for children’s choirs.
He founded the Choir of Infants of the Holy Family in Uruapan and the Choir Festival of the same church, which has achieved national prestige. He was also director of the choirboys at the School of Infants of the Cathedral of Guadalajara from 2015 to 2020, during which he was responsible for its restructuring. With this group, he has toured nationally and internationally in Italy and Spain, participating in the International Corearte Festival in Barcelona. With these same groups, he participated in the celebration of the Holy Mass presided over by Pope Francis, held in Morelia in 2016.
He was associate director of the Choir of the Universidad del Valle de Atemajac (UNIVA), where he was twice awarded the CALMECAC award for academic excellence. He has been a member of the Mexican Federation of Pueri Cantores since its founding and served as its president from 2022 to 2024, during which time he participated in the 44th International Congress of Pueri Cantores held in Rome, representing Mexico along with the choral delegation that traveled for this congress.
He currently works full-time as Director of Sacred Music at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Goshen, IN, a position he has held since March 2024, having moved to the United States. He collaborates closely with the Liturgy and Hispanic Ministry offices of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, providing resources for the diocese’s Hispanic and bilingual celebrations.
He is happily married to Alma, and they have a beautiful three-month-old baby. They share the same passion for performing and teaching the great treasure of sacred music, especially to Spanish-speaking brethren in the United States.
Sandra Raquel Bengochea, soprano, has established a remarkable reputation for her exceptional performances in the lyric coloratura repertoire. Critically acclaimed for her natural vivacity and undeniable charisma, Opera News describes her as “a performer who brings joy from the first note to the last.” With an extensive career spanning over thirty operatic roles, Sandra has captivated audiences with her remarkable portrayals of characters from headstrong Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro to the iconic title role in Manon. Her talent has graced prestigious companies including Bangkok Opera, Opera San José, Great Falls Opera, Opera Idaho, Intermountain Opera, and Tel Aviv Opera. Sandra’s versatility extends beyond the operatic stage, as she effortlessly commands both concert and recital performances. Notably, she has impressed audiences with her soprano solos in masterpieces such as Orff’s Carmina Burana, Schubert’s Mass in G, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, and Mozart’s Requiem. These powerful performances have been hailed alongside accomplished orchestras, including The Winchester Orchestra, The Santa Clara Chorale, The San Jose Chamber Orchestra, The San José Symphony, The Sacramento Chorale Society, and The Midsummer Mozart Festival. Notably, she made last-minute appearances as a replacement for legendary vocalist Frederica Von Stade during a performance with The Midsummer Mozart orchestra at Villa Montalvo.
Outside of her artistic pursuits, Sandra has enjoyed over a fifteen-year career as an instructor in higher education. Her expertise has been valued at esteemed institutions such as San José State University, West Valley College, Modesto Junior College School of Music, and Stanislaus State University, where she currently teaches applied lessons, Diction, Opera Theater, Art Song Repertoire, and Vocal Pedagogy. She currently serves on the faculty of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music.
Sandra’s creative vision extends beyond her performances, as she is also an award-winning stage director. Recognized by the National Opera Association, she has received two awards for her outstanding productions.
Sandra notes her extensive time participating in choral singing all throughout high school and college to her success as a solo performer. Under the direction of Dr. Charlene Archibeque, Sandra was a member of the choral ensemble “Choraliers” that participated and placed first in “The Choir of the World Competition” in Tallinn, Estonia.
Sandra Bengochea received her Master’s Degree from The Manhattan School of Music. She is a devoted wife and mother of two sons and has been active as an advocate for those affected by autism.
