Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka is Professor and the Director of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, where she holds the William P. Mahrt Chair in Sacred Music and serves as the founding Director of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. She has co-edited Mystic Modern: The Music, Thought, and Legacy of Charles Tournemire, published by the Church Music Association of America (CMAA). Her publications also include articles in the New Catholic Encyclopedia, Sacred Music, Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, the proceedings of the Gregorian Institute of Canada, the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly, the Adoremus Bulletin, Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century (Bloomsbury/T&T Clark), and Messiaen in Context (Cambridge University Press).

She serves as the Vice President and Director of Publications for the CMAA, is the managing editor of the CMAA’s journal Sacred Music, and is a regular member of the faculty for the CMAA’s annual Sacred Music Colloquium. As academic liaison of the CMAA, she has organized and presented papers at several academic conferences on Charles Tournemire, the work of Msgr. Richard Schuler, the role of Gregorian chant in pastoral ministry and religious education, and the work of William Mahrt. She was a co-organizer of the Sacra Liturgia conferences in New York (2015) and San Francisco (2022), and has presented papers at the Sacra Liturgia conferences in New York, London, Milan, and San Francisco and, together with Archbishop Cordileone, is the founder of the Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit. The sometime president, she is currently a board member of the Society for Catholic Liturgy. Donelson-Nowicka serves as a Consultant to the USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship.

Praised for his power, sure intonation, and fine diction, tenor, Christopher Bengochea has been a resident artist of Opera San José for three seasons, where he has performed La Boheme, Rigoletto, Die Zauberfloete, La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, and the title roles of Werther and Romeo et Juliette. His operatic repertoire embraces a wide range of roles with numerous companies. Bengochea, a Basque American, began his musical career as a pianist, studied opera at Montana State University, then switched entirely to singing after winning awards at the Northwest Regional Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Internationale Societa Concertistica Vocal Competition in Santa Margherita-Ligure, Italy.

Sandra Raquel Bengochea, soprano, has established a remarkable reputation for her exceptional performances in the lyric coloratura repertoire. With an extensive career spanning over thirty operatic roles, Sandra is critically acclaimed by Opera News as “a performer who brings joy from the first note to the last.” 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.

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.

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.

Teresa received her Bachelor of Arts in Music Vocal Performance from Gonzaga University in 2017, where she studied opera and classical voice technique. After graduation, Teresa returned to the San Francisco Bay Area and has been a student of the renowned mezzo-soprano Sylvia Anderson ever since.

Take advantage of a private 30-minute vocal lesson with one of our professional vocal directors: Christopher Bengochea, Sandra Bengochea, or Teresa Halsey.

These lessons will help you take your vocal performance to the next level and refine the beauty of the liturgical music in your parish.

Act quickly, there are only 40 slots available over the 2 days.

Purchase slots at the registration checkout below.

Price: $45 / 30 Mins