An immersive, five-day residential program under the direction of Dr. Geoffrey Williams that combines the liturgical life of Nashotah House with the expertise of renowned veteran church musicians and scholars to create a vehicle for professional development and personal enrichment that is unlike any other. Participants will engage in daily liturgies in St. Mary’s Chapel and opportunities for group and private study in composition, ensemble singing, voice, and organ. All are invited to participate: singers, conductors, organists, and clergy alike.
The registration fee for the five-day workshop is $750. This fee covers three meals each day in the Refectory and all sheet music for participants.
*Private lessons or coaching sessions are available with individual instructors as time allows.
A variety of scholarships are available for 2024 Church Musicians Workshop participants, including:
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Learn from these renowned veteran church musicians and scholars.
Dr. Williams serves as Assistant Professor of Church Music and Director of St. Mary’s Chapel at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. Acclaimed for his “deeply hued countertenor” (New York Times), he is in demand as a singer, conductor, teacher, and early music specialist throughout the United States and abroad. He is founder and artistic director of the GRAMMY-nominated male classical vocal quartet New York Polyphony, and also performs regularly with Vox Vocal Ensemble, Early Music New York, the Clarion Music Society, and each summer serves on the faculty of the Amherst Early Music Festival.
Dr. David Hurd is widely recognized as one of the foremost church musicians and concert organists in the United States, with a long list of awards, prizes, and honors recognizing his achievements and expertise in organ performance, improvisation, and composition. From 1976 until 2015, David Hurd taught on the faculty of The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York City, eventually being named Professor of Church Music and Organist. For his work at The General Theological Seminary and for his substantial contribution to church music, four other seminaries have awarded him honorary doctorates. He has taught also at Duke University, Manhattan School of Music, Westminster Choir College, and Yale University.
Hailed by The New York Times for her “radiant, liquid tone,” and “sweetly dazzling singing” and by Opera UK for producing “a sound of remarkable purity,” singing instructor Sarah Brailey is a DMA candidate at UW-Madison. Ms. Brailey enjoys a career filled with diverse projects, from soloing in Handel’s Messiah with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra to performing with Kanye West and Roomful of Teeth at the Hollywood Bowl. Co-founder of Just Bach, a monthly concert series in Madison, Ms. Brailey also co-hosts Musica Antiqua on 89.9 FM and serves as the Artistic Director of the Handel Aria Competition.
Marty Wheeler Burnett, D.Min., is the Associate Professor of Church Music and Director of Chapel Music at Virginia Theological Seminary. Prior to her faculty appointment in 2020, she led and coordinated the music ministry at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska. As Canon Precentor, she conducted several choirs and served as the founding director of the children’s and youth choir program, Cantate Choral Academy. An award-winning educator, Burnett previously served as Director of Fine Arts and Associate Professor of Music at College of Saint Mary in Omaha. Under her leadership, the college choirs performed twice at Carnegie Hall and toured Ireland and Italy, singing for Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. She holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in organ performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and a Doctor of Ministry degree from The University of the South. Her publications, presentations, and research focus on liturgical music, particularly hymns and service music by women. Burnett is a past President of the Association of Anglican Musicians and a current member of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music of The Episcopal Church. Her compositions are published by Church Publishing, Randall M. Egan, St. James Music Press, and Selah Publishing Company.
Led by Dr. Marty Wheeler Burnett, this track will offer a survey of the history and practice of marrying liturgy and music.
In this track, Dr. David Hurd will offer instruction in utilizing plainsong chant in composition through the introduction and performance of the varying forms of notated chant, and composing for organ and choir using chant as a model and inspiration. General aspects of composing for choir will also be addressed, and there will be an opportunity for participants to discuss their own work. Each registered participant is invited to submit one piece that they would like to share and discuss. Further details will be given after applications have closed.
In this track, singing instructor Dr. Sarah Brailey will offer insight into the practice of singing and maintenance of a healthy singing instrument for all experience levels.
Any church musician who attends the workshop with their rector can receive 50% off the CMW fee. Enter the coupon code RECTOR to claim when registering for the workshop.
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Any current student or alumni of the House can receive 50% off the CMW fee. Enter the coupon code CMWSPECIAL to claim when registering for the workshop.
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Any student under age 30 can receive 50% off the CMW fee. Enter the coupon code UNDER30 to claim when registering for the workshop.
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Church groups of three or more individuals from the same congregation will each be eligible to receive 50% off the CMW fee. Enter the coupon code CHURCH to claim when registering for the workshop.
REGISTER NOWDesigned for organists and conductors, this course will explore the relationship between conductor and organist and offer practical solutions for the organist who is simultaneously conducting from the consoler. Opportunities will be afforded for podium time both in front of the choir and at the console.
In this track, Dr. David Hurd will offer instruction in utilizing plainsong chant in composition through the introduction and performance of the varying forms of notated chant, and composing for organ and choir using chant as a model and inspiration. General aspects of composing for choir will also be addressed, and there will be an opportunity for participants to discuss their own work. Each registered participant is invited to submit one piece that they would like to share and discuss. Further details will be given after applications have closed.
Led by Dr. Marty Wheeler Burnett, this track will offer a survey of the history and practice of marrying liturgy and music.
In this track, singing instructor Dr. Sarah Brailey will offer insight into the practice of singing and maintenance of a healthy singing instrument for all experience levels.
