Saturday, March 3, 2012

Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

 

 

Maurice Duruflé was a teacher, recitalist, and virtuosic improviser, committed to the church. Influenced by the Roman Catholic liturgy, French choral music, the architectural heritage of France and its complex political, social and cultural history, his life was lived in the midst of what James Frazier calls “a ferocious struggle of the sacred versus the secular.” Duruflé managed to bring the two “into a respectful accommodation” through his exposure to the Solesmes method of chant and his later affinity for the harmonies of Debussy, Ravel and Dukas. Throughout the past century, Duruflé has influenced music in both Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, often without an understanding of what propelled him. A hundred and ten years after his birth, church musicians face a different struggle. With perspective at a distance from his time and place, we in our time and place, might learn what may or may not provide helpful insights in our work today.

 

James Frazier, an expert on Duruflé and author of Maurice Duruflé:  The Man and His Music, will lead conference participants into this topic. He will be joined by Anthony Ruff, a monk who teaches at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN; Dirk Lange, a former brother at Taizé who teaches at Luther Seminary; and Christopher Aspaas, a choral conductor who teaches at St. Olaf College.

 

A full schedule of the day's events, biographies of clinicians, and descriptions of the workshops are available via the conference website at www.luthersem.edu/sacredmusic.

 

 

The cost for the conference is $65 per person, $30 for students and includes lunch. Paid pre-registration deadline is Fri., February 24. After February 24, the cost increases to $80 per person, and $45 for students. Registration at the door is not guaranteed. Registrant check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 3, 2012. The conference begins at 9 a.m. and will conclude by 4:30 p.m.

 

Luther Seminary's annual Sacred Music Conference began in 2006. The conference is sponsored by the Seminary's Master of Sacred Music program.