Dec 12, 2015
by MOSAIC Editorial Team
It's been a tradition as Sacred Heart for at least sixty years. On Friday evening, December 4, the seminary sponsored its annual Christmas concert, attended by a near-capacity crowd of close to five hundred guests. The concert was directed by Sacred Heart's liturgical music director and associate professor of music, Dr. Ronald Prowse. Its theme was "For Unto Us a Child Is Born."
Dr. Prowse skillfully conducted the standing liturgical choir of Sacred Heart and also the seminary's Concert Chorale. The choir is made up of undergraduate and graduate seminarians, and its main role, besides performing at the Christmas concert, is to provide choral music for Sunday liturgies at the seminary. The Concert Chorale is composed of lay students studying for a diploma in sacred music along with alumni, friends of the seminary, members of the staff and faculty (current and former).
Former seminarian Fr. Ryan Ford was delighted to sing bass with the concert chorale for the first time since being ordained in 2011. "I wanted to experience the joy of singing in a choir once again and contribute to the success of the concert," says Father Ford, a priest of the Diocese of Marquette who is skilled classical pianist with an academic background in music education. Father is on temporary assignment at Sacred Heart, studying for his Licentiate in Sacred Theology degree while serving on the seminary's formation team.
"Dr. Prowse brings together a fine group of singers, and I really enjoyed getting to know them," Father Ford says. "I look forward to singing again next year."
As in previous years, special guests performed at the annual concert. The seminary's Hispanic music choir, directed by Rubi Martinez-Bernat, was accompanied by a quartet of string guitarists. They sang three numbers, including "Peces en el Rio," a traditional Columbian Christmas carol. Rubi is music director at St. Gabriel Parish in Wyandotte and directs the Hispanic choir each Friday morning at Sacred Heart's weekly Spanish Mass.
Mike Roth, director of the St. Lawrence (Utica) Parish music ministry, brought along a combo of ministry members who played piano, saxophone, guitar, and drums. Dr. Prowse even joined the group on keyboards.
"Coincidentally, the guys that accompanied Mike were members of Fifth Avenue, a wedding band I played with for fifteen years, from 1978 to 1992. This is the first performance of our reunion tour," Dr. Prowse laughed. "Just kiddingthey are faithful workers in the vineyard of the Lord, and I am proud to call them friends."
Long-time guest performers the Michigan Sinfonietta, an orchestra of concert musicians mainly from the Ann Arbor area, played accompaniment to much of the evening's vocal music.
Jim and Terry Radatz of New Boston are first-time attendees of the Christmas concert. "The overall performance of the seminarians, the conductors, and the lay performers left us spellbound and transported," Terry says. "Someone once told me, Singing is a form of prayer.' This experience was truly inspirational just like a prayer." Jim and Terry also attended the traditional afterglow reception after the concert, which they said was "enjoyable and an added bonus" of the evening.
If you missed this year's Christmas concert, consider marking your 2016 calendar early. Without fail, the concert is on the first Friday in December.
Are you a lay alumnus? Next year, why not attend the lay alumni gathering prior to the concert?
This new event, only in its second year, brought together seventy-five former and current lay students of the seminary, along with their family members and friends. The attendees enjoyed appetizers and beverages and earned reserve seating to the concert. Contact Emily Berschback, Sacred Heart's event manager, for more information: 313-596-7424, berschback.emily@aod.org.
[embed]https://vimeo.com/149272477[/embed]
MOSAIC Editorial Team