Institute of Sacred Music - Current Students

Doctor of Musical Arts

Kevin O’Brien

Master of Music, Sacred Music, Choral Music, 2003, CUA

Bachelor of Music, magna cum laude, Sacred Music (Organ), 2001, Westminster Choir College

 

Kevin O’Brien is a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts in Sacred Music with concentration in Choral Music.  Kevin earned the Master of Music in Sacred Music with concentration in Choral Music at CUA and the Bachelor of Music magna cum laude in Sacred Music, organ emphasis, at Westminster Choir College of Ryder University. Currently in dissertation mode, Kevin is researching the life and works of Washington composer, conductor, and keyboardist Russell Woollen (1923-1994), and is currently cataloguing the Russell Woollen archives held by the Library of Congress.  Other areas of research include: the historical and theological contexts of the motet, and of the psalms in liturgy, the liturgical theology of Joseph Ratzinger, the choral music of Benjamin Britten and Francis Poulenc, and 20th century liturgical music reformation.

Kevin has been Director of Music at St Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill since 2002. As conductor of the parish choir he has given particular emphasis to the orchestral repertory of liturgical music at major parish liturgies.  As organist, Kevin is currently performing all the Bach preludes and fugues as prelude and postlude to Sunday eucharist.  He also serves as musician to weekday liturgies of the American Bishops when they convene in Washington.

From 2004 to 2007 Kevin was conductor the CUA Town and Gown Community Chorus.  From 2003 to 2007 Kevin served as assistant conductor of the CUA Chamber Choir, assisting in the ensmble’s preparation and conducting in most concerts, including in a 2006 concert in St Nicholas Church in Prague.  For the spring 2008 term, he served as acting conductor of the ensemble.  He has taught the undergraduate sequence of conducting study, and since 2004 has conducted the Baccalaureate choir at Commencement each May.  A longtime senator for the CUA Graduate Student Organization, Kevin received the Stephen P. Millies Award for service to the graduate student population following his tenure as president of GSA during the 2005-2006 academic year.  He has received numerous scholarships and awards including CUA scholarships from the Dom Mocquereau Foundation and the Magi/Carrigan Foundation for artists pursuing a life of service to the Church.

David Mathers
Master of Music, Piano Performance, 1991, CUA
Bachelor of Music, Piano Performance, 1988, CUA

David Mathers is in his fourth year of coursework for the Doctor of Musical Arts in Sacred Music with concentration in Choral Music.  He currently studies choral conducting with Dr. Leo Nestor and is an Assistant Director of the CUA Chamber Choir. David is a recipient of the CUA Magi/Carrigan Foundation Scholarship. David earned the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at CUA, in 1988 and 1991 respectively, in piano performance. His teachers were Antoinette Melignani and Marilyn Neeley, and he coached chamber music with Professor Neeley and Dr. Robert Newkirk. He also accompanied for the violin studios of Professors Jody Gatwood and Robert Gerle.

David has an extensive background in instrumental conducting. He was Assistant Conductor of the Harrisburg (PA) Symphony Orchestra and has led performances of the Harrisburg Symphony, the Maryland Symphony and the Harrisburg Opera. David was from 1995 to 2004 the Conductor of the NOVA/Manassas Symphony Orchestra. Orchestral conducting studies have included work with Michael Morgan, Murry Sidlin, Gunther Schuller and, currently at CUA with Professor David Searle.

From 1996 to 2007 David was Director of Music Ministries at All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, the largest parish in the Diocese of Arlington, VA. David is currently Director of Sacred Music at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg, VA, where, in addition to directing the Adult and Youth Choirs, and playing the organ for parish liturgies, oversees the entire liturgical music ministry.

David Mathers is a member of the American Guild of Organists and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. He currently serves as Chapter Director of the Arlington Diocese Chapter of NPM. David grew up in southern Connecticut and currently lives in Prince William County, VA with his wife Kathleen O’Hara Mathers, a trade association executive.

Jennifer Seighman
Master of Music, Choral Conducting, University of Oklahoma
Bachelor of Music Education, magna cum laude, Westminster Choir College

In her fourth year of work toward the Doctor of Musical Arts in Sacred Music with concentration in Choral Music, Jennifer Seighman possesses an extensive background as a conductor, organist, vocalist, and music educator. At CUA Ms. Sieghman has studied choral conducting with Dr. Leo Nestor, orchestral conducting with Professor David Searle and organ with Dr. Edward Moore. While earning her Bachelor of Music Education degree magna cum laude at Westminster Choir College, she served as a conducting intern with the Westminster Conservatory Chorale in addition to receiving the Junior Organ Scholarship and the Music Generativity Award in Music Education. While at Westminster, Ms. Seighman studied organ with William Hays and Gavin Black and voice with Robert Guarino and Beth Roberts.

After teaching choral music in the New Jersey public school system for five years, Ms. Seighman pursued the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at The University of Oklahoma, studying choral conducting with Dennis Shrock, and served as the graduate assistant to the Director of Graduate Choral Activities.  

Ms. Seighman is a recipient of CUA Magi/Carrigan Foundation Scholarship. Other awards include the 2008 National Association of Pastoral Musicians Members’ Scholarship, the 2007 Oregon Catholic Press Scholarship, and the 2006 GIA Pastoral Musician Scholarship (administered by NPM).

In addition to conducting The CUA Town and Gown Community Chorus, Ms. Seighman is Organist and Choirmaster at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in Garrett Park, MD.  Research and performing interests include: chant and liturgical practices during the Avignon Papacy, the history, development, and sources of the introit and communion antiphons at mass, church processions during the early Christian and medieval periods, choral vespers practices, as well as the music of Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Lotti, and Francis Poulenc.

William Atwood
Master of Music, with distinction, 2003, Westminster Choir College
Bachelor of Music, magna cum laude, 2001, Hartt School of Music

William H. Atwood is in his second year of coursework for the Doctor of Musical Arts in Sacred Music with concentration in Organ Performance.  He studies organ with Edward Alan Moore and choral conducting with Leo Nestor. Mr. Atwood has been the recipient of three academic scholarships from the National Association of Pastoral Musicians and was the 2001 recipient of the Charlotte Hoyt Bagnall Scholarship for the study of church music. Mr. Atwood is currently a recipient of CUA's Magi/Carriigan Foundation Scholarship CUA and is the accompanist for the CUA Chamber Choir.

Mr. Atwood is the Director of Music and Organist at All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, Virginia where he directs a large and diverse parish music program.  Prior to his position at All Saints, Mr. Atwood was Director of Sacred Music for the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Somerville, New Jersey in addition to being Organist and Festival Choir Accompanist for the Catholic Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey.

A native of Connecticut, Mr. Atwood received the Bachelor of Music Degree magna cum laude in 2001 from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, and is a 2003 graduate of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ where he earned the Master of Music Degree with distinction.

In addition performing at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Mr. Atwood has appeared on several other recital series in the New York area, including the Church of the Holy Family, Church St. Mary the Virgin and St. Bartholomew’s Church. He was also a featured recitalist and workshop presenter at the 2008 Eastern Regional Convention of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians held in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Henry Bauer
Master of Liturgical Music, 1998, CUA
Bachelor of Music, Piano Pedagogy, cum laude, 1996, Butler University

Henry Bauer is currently in his second year of studies for the Doctor of Musical Arts in Sacred Music with concentration in Choral Music.  Henry has received Magi/Carrigan Foundation Scholarshiop from CUA during his DMA studies, and while he was masters student at CUA, he recieved scholarships from both the Dom Mocquereau Foundation and  and the Magi/Carrigan Foundation. Since 1996, Henry has been the Director of Liturgy and Music at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church in Bethesda, MD where he directs two choirs, trains cantors, plays the organ, oversees all the liturgical ministries, provides formation for liturgical ministers, designs worship aids, directs the Concert and Arts Series, oversees the decoration of the church for holy days and major feasts, and assists with the parish school’s music program. In addition to his ministry at St. Jane’s, he has a private piano and organ studio.

Henry is a member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, the American Guild of Organists, Music Teachers National Association, and Montgomery County Music Teachers Association. Currently, he serves on the board of his local NPM chapter, Washington DC, and coordinates activities for its local music directors division. In 2001, he served on the convention planning board for the 2001 NPM National Convention in Washington, DC. He has also been a recipient of the NPM Perrot Scholarship and St. Jane Music Ministry Scholarship Fund. As an organist, he has given concerts at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and National City Christian Church in Washington DC.

 

 

Master of Sacred Music

Verena Anders
Bachelor of Music, Piano Performance, 2002, University of Maryland

Verena Lucia Anders is currently engaged in coursework for the Master of Sacred Music with Concentration in Choral Music. She studies choral conducting with Dr. Leo Nestor and orchestral conducting with Professor David Searle and is an Assistant Conductor of the CUA Chamber Choir. A talented pianist, organist and vocalist, Ms. Anders began her arts training as a dance major at the Baltimore School for the Arts and continued her studies in music theory and piano at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.  Ms. Anders completed her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she also minored in vocal performance and French.  During her studies at UM, Ms. Anders was a member of the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, under the direction of Dr. Leo Nestor.  Ms. Anders studied at the Alvin Ailey School for Dance in New York while maintaining an active life as a choral and solo singer, singing with the choir of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the New York Choral Artists, and the early-music ensemble Amor Artis.
Ms. Anders is Director of Music Ministries and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Derwood, Maryland. Verena has a special interest in issues of justice and poverty in developing nations and recently completed a trip to Haiti to support the Twin-Parish mission of St. Francis of Assisi parish with St. Paul’s parish in Leon, Haiti.

Jonathan Laird
Bachelor of Arts, Geography, 2004, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Jonathan Laird is in his second year pursuing the degree Master of Music in Sacred Music with concentration in Organ Performance. He is also in his second year as accompanist and first year as assistant conductor for the CUA University Chorus. Jon attended his first year at CUA as a scholar of the Dom Mocquereau Foundation.

 

A native of Fairfax County, Jon has been active as a professional pianist, percussionist, and organist in the Washington metropolitan area for over a decade. In the fall of 2008 he was named Director of Music for Campus Ministry at CUA and was previously Associate Music Director and Organist at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church in McLean, VA. He currently studies organ with Dr. Edward Moore and performs with CUA Chamber. Jon has also studied organ with David Lang, Paul Bender and David Erwin.

Elizabeth Hoarty
Bachelor of Music, Organ Performance, summa cum laude, 2008, University of South Dakota
Bachelor of Music, Piano Performance, summa cum laude, 2008, University of South Dakota

Elizabeth Hoarty has begun work this year on the Master of Music in Sacred Music with concentration in Organ Performance. She studies organ at CUA with Dr. Edward Moore. She has received both a Dom Mocquereau Scholarship and a Magi Scholarship. She is a member of the CUA Chamber Choir, and also serves as the ensemble’s Librarian. Elizabeth is the organist at St. Veronica's Catholic Church in Chantilly, VA. 

Originally hailing from Wessington Springs, South Dakota, Elizabeth received two Bachelor of Music degrees in May of 2008 at the University of South Dakota, one in organ performance and the other in piano performance.  In addition to being the accompanist for the USD Concert Choir, Elizabeth also found time to play bass clarinet in the USD Symphonic Band and clarinet in the USD Marching Band. From 2005-2008, she was the director of music at the USD St. Thomas More Newman Center in Vermillion, SD.  Elizabeth also performed in Vermillion High School choir ensembles and and performed their as an instrumental soloist.  Elizabeth is a member of the AGO and NPM and has an interest in the research of early church music. In addition to her current organ studies with Dr. Moore, she has studied with Dr. Larry Schou and Dr. Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra.  Elizabeth studied piano with Dr. Susan Keith Gray, Dr. Luis Sanchez, Dr. Andrew Cooperstock, Mrs. Lois Feistner and Mrs. Fallie Beers.

Mary Catherine Levri
Bachelor of Arts, University of Notre Dame
Master of Theology, Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family

This is Mary Catherine Levri first year of studies for the Master of Music in Sacred Music with Concentration in Organ Performance. She studied organ and great books at the University of Notre Dame during her undergraduate and has a Master's in Theology from the John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage and Family. She is from Pittsburgh, PA and is currently serving as associate Master of Music at St. John the Beloved Parish in McLean, VA.

Michael Galdo
B.A., Religious Studies and Music, 2003, University of Virginia

Michael Galdo is in his first year of study for the Master of Sacred Music with Concentration in Organ Preformance. Michael is currently the director of music at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Potomac Falls, VA.  He graduated from the University of Virginia in 2003 with a B.A. in Music and Religious Studies.  He currently lives in McLean, VA with his wife, Carla, and two sons.

 

Institute of Sacred Music - Recent Graduates

Julia Austin
Master of Music, Sacred Music, Choral Music, 2008, CUA
Bachelor ofArts, Music, Oboe, magna cum laude, 2002, University of Montevallo

 

Robin Williams
Master of Music, Sacred Music, Organ, 2007, CUA
Bachelor of Music, Organ Performance, Memorial University of Newfoundland

A native of Newfoundland, Canada, Robin Williams received the Master of Music in Sacred Music from the CUA in 2007, where he studied organ with Sir Robert Grogan and Dr. Edward Allan Moore, and voice with Dr. Jane Taverner. Robin also holds a Bachelor of Music from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He has been featured as a solo performer on both the Radio and Television Networks of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In addition to being the president of the Avalon Centre of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, Robin is also the director of music and organist at St. Teresa's Parish in St. John's, Newfoundland.