University of St. Thomas

When asked what one word best describes the liturgical music concentration at St. Thomas, a faculty member replied, “integrity.”

A real student asks:

 

Does a liturgical music major only prepare me to sing in church?

A liturgical music faculty member responds: Far from it! You will receive a music degree, which will prepare you to perform or teach anywhere. The liturgical music major is designed for those with a special interest in church music ministry which includes singing and performing in church, but also is designed to prepare graduates to be a music directors or music pastors in a church setting.

What jobs are possible with a Liturgical Music major?

What are recent graduates doing now?

We have a recent graduate now working as head of liturgical music at Marquette University. This student chose this path because she wanted to combine her choral experience with music ministry.

What opportunities are there to bolster my resume while I'm in the program?

Internships. Our liturgical music majors spend significant time as interns as well as in other field assignment churches across the Twin Cities. Some recent examples are:

Rachelle Kramer ’01, Church of St. Therese, Deephaven
Aaron Brown ’05, St. Olaf Church, Minneapolis
Tim Westerhaus ’04, Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis
Christine Prokop ’06, Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis
Molly Sagerhorn ’07, St. Pascal Baylon Church, St. Paul

Study abroad. Liturgical music students often travel abroad for a semester or two, studying in major conservatories and smaller institutions. Additionally, each of our major ensembles travels internationally giving performance tours, which allows them to immerse in the native culture and serve the community through music performance.

Faculty at work

Our faculty consists of international conductors and performers appearing as guest artists in countries across Europe, the United Kingdom, South America, China, Japan and Australia.  Our faculty members also have delivered papers nationally and internationally, sometimes appearing as headline speakers at major scholarly conferences. Our liturgical music faculty members have worked in parishes in and outside of the Twin Cities. We have significant figures in the church music world on our campus, including Michael Joncas and David Haas.