Three-Day Cantor Workshop in Pittsburgh
The Metropolitan Cantor Institute will hold a 3-day workshop for new cantors at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh from July 5-7. This intensive course will introduce beginning cantors to the fundamentals of church singing and chant leadership; if there is interest, a master class for experienced cantors will also be offered. Both courses are open to clergy who wish to broaden their musical skills.
A limited amount of lodging is available at the seminary for those coming from outside the Pittsburgh area. Cost for the course will be $100, and an additional $125 for those staying overnight. Watch this website for more details, or contact MCI director Jeffrey Mierzejewski at (412) 735-1676.
Meeting of Archieparchial Cantors
On the afternoon of the Sunday of All Saints, May 22, 2016, a meeting of the cantors of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh will be held at Saints Cyril and Methodius Seminary, 3605 Perrysville Avenue, Pittsburgh, from 2-5 PM. Each parish within driving distance of Pittsburgh is asked to have at least one representative at the meeting. A dinner and social gathering will follow; please bring a dish to share if you plan to stay for the meal.
New Hymns for Pascha!
Brother Augustine of the Byzantine Franciscan friary in Sybertsville, PA put together a collection of Paschal hymns, and has graciously allowed the Metropolitan Cantor Institute to post them online. There are hymns in both English (using the current translations of our church) and (transliterated) Slavonic.
May they contribute to our joy in this Paschal season!
New SoundCloud Page
The MCI now has a page on SoundCloud. I hope to be add a couple of tracks every few days, beginning with historical (old) recordings of prostopinije singing and choir music from the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Church. You can click Follow on the MCI SoundCloud page to be informed of new additions.
Please let us know what you think! And if you, your parish or choir have recordings you would like to make available to other cantors and cantor students, please contact me at mci@archpitt.org.
What is the Metropolitan Cantor Institute?
The Metropolitan Cantor Institute exists to support and foster liturgical singing in the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh. At the direction of our bishops, and in cooperation with our clergy and experienced cantors, the Institute
- trains and certifies cantors for the service of the church
- prepares music and educational materials, and
- provides workshops and seminars in church singing.
The mission of the Metropolitan Cantor Institute is to ensure that each parish in the Byzantine Catholic Church has a cantor who can lead the liturgical singing of the parish well, to the glory of God and in support of the prayer of the faithful.
Please read the article on Using this website, and contact us if you have questions or suggestions!
Documenting the history of our church music
The Metropolitan Cantor Institute is working with the Byzantine Catholic Seminary Library to put together material to document the history of the liturgical music of the Byzantine Catholic Church, both plain chant and choral music. In 2013, Metropolitan William put out a request to clergy to help in this effort.
Later this year, we will be posting a list of particular items we are looking for, as well as some scanned images that we could use help identifying.
We are also interested in recordings. Here is our working list current list of Greek Catholic plain chant and choral recordings done in the United States:
If you have additional information about any of the recordings in this list (or if you have access to copies of recordings that the seminary does not yet have), please contact us!
Mailing lists
A number of electronic mailing lists are available for Byzantine Catholic cantors and those interested in church music. Click on the name of the group to sign up.
| mcinews | Announcements of cantor education opportunities in the Byzantine Catholic Church |
| mcimusicfiles | Monthly distribution of sheet music from the Metropolitan Cantor Institute |
Please sign up for the lists of interest to you!