Call for Papers and Recital Programs: L'Orgue Mystique, February 2012, Fort Lauterdale, Florida

The accomplished Dr. Jennifer Donelson of Nova Southeastern University, Florida, recently sent me the following details of a conference on liturgical music she is organizing with the Church Music Association of America:

Gregorian Chant and Modern Composition for the Catholic Liturgy: Charles Tournemire’s L’Orgue Mystique as Guide

February 2-3, 2012 - The Church Music Association of America

in collaboration with Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
and the Church of the Epiphany in Miami, Florida.

The Church Music Association of America will hold a conference exploring Charles Tournemire’s landmark L’Orgue Mystique on February 2-3, 2012 on the campus of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale and at the Church of the Epiphany in South Miami. The conference seeks to explore the aesthetic, liturgical, and compositional principles of L’Orgue Mystique, the broad implicationsof the work for modern compositions inspired by Gregorian chant, and, more generally, the role of modern compositions and the organ in the Catholic liturgy.

The conference will include a Missa Cantata for the Feast of the Purification ofthe Blessed Virgin Mary (Candlemas) featuring Tournemire’s office for the day from L’Orgue Mystique, a concert featuringselections from L’Orgue Mystique, aswell as recital programs and papers relating to the conference theme. Papers presented will be considered forpublication in a collection of essays following the conference.

The conference committee welcomes proposals for papers and recital programs.

The deadline for proposals is September 2nd, 2011. Notification of acceptance will be given by September 15th, 2011.

Proposals must be submitted via email to Jennifer Donelson at: jd1120@nova.edu

Acomplete call for papers may be viewed at the conference website: www.musicasacra.com/tournemire.

I have not seen an academic-liturgical undertaking this elaborate in southern Florida in a while, so I heartily encourage all to support and especially for locals to get the word out about this event.