with Practitioner's Tracks
Augment your proficiency and value as a musician with knowledge shared by recognized experts. Register for one, or a whole series.
Introducing Practitioner's Tracks!
These optional tracks include live, unrecorded Zoom sessions in small groups, designed for clinicians to support musicians in the field as they develop new musical skills. Content will include special conducting considerations, methods for teaching free rhythm to a choir, tuning techniques, psalm pointing, and much more.
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Anglican Chant with Dr. Horst Buchholz - NEW DATE May 3 at 10 am CDT*
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Hands On with Hildegard with guests Krista Cornish Scott and Marsja Mudde - May 24 at 10 am + 12 noon CDT*
* use the Time Zone Tool (bottom of page) to determine time in your own time zone
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“I enjoyed the fluidity of the zoom calls and the topics, amount of time spent on said topics, and topic questions. The instructors were excited to teach us - I was really intrigued with their knowledge and devotion to these Fauxbourdons. I truly loved every second of both of the lectures. I am excited to see more of Nicholas Lemme in the future. Such a great guy; very easy to talk to - Tim Braithwaite is really knowledgeable and I enjoyed listening to how he sings off the book as well!”
- Daniel H., parish music director in Texas
after attending both Fauxbourdon February Lectures and the Practitioner’s Track
"It was absolutely everything I could’ve asked for, and a lot of the concepts we discussed I have implemented into my accompaniments. It was helpful for me as I continue to learn more about chant and its musical nature, as well as the role I have in laying a harmonic foundation from the organ. I really liked the examples you used (Salve Regina, Stabat Mater) to compare the different accompaniment structures."
- Charlie M., organ scholar at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Birmingham, Alabama
after attending Organ Accompaniment of Gregorian Chant [Part I]
Anglican Chant - Roots, Historical Performance, and Liturgical Applications
Dr. Horst Buchholz
The musical form of chant has extraordinary ability to breathe life into a sung text. Since each language has its own distinctive characteristics, a challenge naturally arises: How does one fit the text of one language to a chant tone or melody that was developed for use in another language? More to our purpose: How does one align texts in English (a language with far more single syllable words than Latin, lacking consistency in word accents, and exhibiting sizable range in sentence length) to chant tones and melodies which were composed for use with Latin texts?
We will trace the historical treatment of this problem, from the development of fauxbourdon (a harmonized form of chant) into today’s Anglican chant. An analysis of the workings of Anglican chant will ensue. We will also touch briefly on other tones which are better adapted to the English language than their Latin counterparts.
Lecture will conclude with a Q and A session and an abundance of digital materials for further study.
Lecture
NEW DATE Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 10 am CDT* (90 minutes, includes Q & A)
USA: 11a EDT | 10a CDT (UTC - 5) | 9a MDT | 8a PDT
Europe: 3p (UTC + 0)
Practitioner’s Session
Fitting an English text to an Anglican chant setting ("pointing"), and special considerations for accompaniment and conducting of the chants.
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NEW DATE Tuesday, May 13 * (90 minutes): 2p EDT | 1p CDT (UTC - 5) | 12 noon MDT | 11a PDT | Europe: 6p (UTC + 0)
*For instructions to determine meeting times in your own time zone, click here.
Click here for tuition and requirements.
Limited seating for Practitioner's Sessions. Register early.
example of Anglican Chant
Hands On with Hildegard
Krista Cornish Scott and Marsja Mudde
Live lectures and optional Practitioner's Track via Zoom on the historical & liturgical background, musical notation, and performance practice for the songs of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179).
Hildegard, renowned for her contributions to theology, music, literature, and art, was a German nun and mystic, canonized saint and Doctor of the Church. Hildegard was foremost a liturgist, however. She founded new monasteries for her sisters where she could have better opportunity to oversee their liturgies, that they might believe and live the Liturgy as truly cosmic and epic.
She and her nuns adapted forms of singing that they believed to be crucial to the reform of the Church in their day, and central to the ongoing turning of the heavens and to the nature of time itself.
Painting by Julia Dokter
Saturday, May 24: Two Lectures
I. Lecture by Krista Cornish Scott at 10 am CDT* (90 minutes, includes Q & A)
Revered as a leader, mystic, naturalist, composer, and saint, Hildegard von Bingen is a complex figure. In spite of the vast amount of information available about her today, she is shrouded in a surprising array of myth and misconception. Krista tackles this problem with a gentle sense of humor, presenting an excellent introduction to Hildegard’s life and music, with a focus on historical accuracy.
In addition, Krista will lead participants through the practical process of what it is like to 1) prepare a Hildegard score and 2) teach it to singers of varying ability levels.
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Explore biographical information which give context to Hildegard's religious life and early influences.
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Learn about her non-musical output, which influenced her poetic and musical writing.
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Delve into appropriate vocal production for Hildegard's music, and medieval Germanic pronunciation.
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Discover multiple editions and resources now available for Hildegard's music.
This session will be valuable to anyone who has felt hesitant to program Hildegard’s music, whether it be in a church or choral setting, or as a solo singer.
USA: 11a EDT | 10a CDT (UTC - 5) | 9a MDT | 8a PDT
Europe: 4p BST (UTC + 1)
II. Lecture by Marsja Mudde at 12 noon CDT* (90 minutes, includes Q & A)
Learn about performing Hildegard’s music in an historically informed way. Why would you want to do this in the first place, even as the leader of an amateur choir, or as an amateur singer yourself? And what knowledge and skills are needed to achieve this? .
Marsja will provide a brief introduction to the basics. She will discuss and demonstrate:
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The consequences of Hildegard’s interdisciplinary approach for understanding and performing her music.
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How Hildegard “felt” the modes and utilized them in her compositions.
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How understanding the original notation (neumes) and their origins (the hand movements that inspired the notation in the first place) can inform interpretation.
In this lecture, Marsja will also share insights from the research she conducted together with Dr. Rebecca Stewart on Hildegard’s allegorical “opera,” the Ordo Virtutum. Finally, there will be time to answer some of your most pressing questions. A handout will be made available with useful resources and examples.
USA: 1 pm EDT | 12 noon CDT (UTC - 5) | 11 am MDT | 10 am PDT
Europe: 6 pm BST (UTC + 1)
*For instructions to determine lecture times in your own time zone, click here.
live video: Heri et Hodie singing chants by Hildegard von Bingen, directed by Krista Cornish Scott
Practitioner’s Session
with Marsja Mudde
In this 2-hour session, Marsja will guide you in exploration of Hildegard’s music in greater depth. Using a variety of pieces as examples (provided in advance in a handout), she will guide you through:
• Understanding and reading the original Hufnagel notation.
• Directing via hand gestures (chironomy), reconstructed from the notation.
• Identifying pivotal tones in relation to the mode(s).
• Discovering the rhythmic-melodic flow of Hildegard’s music..
If time allows, participants will have opportunity to ask specific questions about the pieces studied during the session, or a piece they are already working on.
Choose one:
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Thursday, May 29* (2 hours, with short break) USA: 1:30p EDT | 12:30p CDT (UTC - 5) | 11:30a MDT | 10:30a PDT | Europe: 6:30p BST (UTC + 1)
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Saturday, May 31* (2 hours, with short break) USA: 1:30p EDT | 12:30p CDT (UTC - 5) | 11:30a MDT | 10:30a PDT | Europe: 6:30p BST (UTC + 1)
*For instructions to determine meeting times in your own time zone, click here.
Click here for tuition and requirements.
Limited seating for Practitioner's Sessions. Register early.
Krista Cornish Scott ~ guest lecturer
is a Canadian soprano and music director. She earned her Masters of Music in Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario, where she studied with contemporary opera innovator John Hess and teachers Theodore and Irena Baerg. A past prize-winner at Canada’s national Eckhardt-Gramatté contemporary music competition, she continues to support and seek out new music as a singer, conductor, and as co-artistic director of the contemporary music ensemble Coro Volante.
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In 2020 she launched Heri et Hodie (Yesterday and Today), an intimate women’s ensemble exploring medieval and modern music. Heri et Hodie has performed at the St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in Cincinnati. Krista is also co-chair of the recently revived Cincinnati Early Music Festival. .
Krista's performance submission, All the Single Ladies: music from the convents of Baroque Italy, and her lecture recital Kassiani: Voice of the earliest known woman composer were both selected for programming as part of the 2025 Music by Women International Festival. .
Hildegard von Bingen
Krista has directed Hildegard's Ordo Virtutum twice, including its Western Canadian premiere. Current recording projects include a recording of Hildegard texts set by women composers.
Marsja Mudde ~ guest lecturer
is a specialist in Medieval and Renaissance music and an accomplished soprano based in the Netherlands. From the start of her singing studies at the Fontys Conservatory in Tilburg, she has specialized in the Middle Ages and Renaissance with Dr. Rebecca Stewart, head of the Early Vocal Ensemble Music department. After a very successful graduation concert on Saint Michael and All Angels, she followed many more specialization courses at the master level. She immersed herself in, among other things, the Paris Notre Dame repertoire, Hildegard von Bingen, Modern Devotional and Gregorian chant music from all European regions.
During her studies and since then, she has performed extensively at home and abroad with Ensemble Trigon, Ensemble Cantus Modalis, Ensemble Per Sonorem Vocis, her own Ensemble Anime
Beatitudinis Cantando, and others. She has given concerts and workshops in South Korea, Georgia, Germany, Portugal, France and Belgium. .
Marsja has maintained a thriving singing teaching practice since 2005, which attracts students from all over the Netherlands due to her specialization. She teaches and assists at the Center Cantus Modalis training center, which annually organizes several masterclasses for professional singers on Renaissance and early Baroque composers and their work. She also participates in scientific research and publications at the Center. Next year she will publish a tutorial on the specific techniques a singer needs to perform medieval and renaissance repertoire and other modal oriented music.
Hildegard von Bingen
Marsja regularly performs the music of Hildegard von Bingen from manuscript facsimiles bearing the original Hufnagel notation, and teaches chironomy based on the same. With Dr. Rebecca Stewart, she co-wrote the chapter Hoewel ik notatie, noch zingen geleerd had, written interview-style with Hildegard, using quotes and contemporary references to help fill in “her” answers, plus additional commentary by the authors. The chapter was published in the Dutch book Zicht op Hildegard (2020, edited by Hans Wilbrink). Marsja's website is https://marsjamudde.nl/en/ .
ICA Lecture Series and Practitioner's Tracks
Technical Requirements
A desktop computer, laptop, or tablet (the larger the screen the better) equipped with videocamera (no cell phones, please), and Zoom app installed. Reliable access to high-speed internet is a must. Student is responsible for working technology.
Tuition
One Lecture = $100 USD (both Hildegard lectures = $150)
Anglican Chant Practitioner's Session = $75 limited seating
Hands On with Hildegard Practitioner's Session = $100 limited seating
Your tuition payment reserves your seat, and may be made via PayPal, Venmo, credit card, or check.
Ask your parish whether funding is available for continuing education.
Tuition may also be tax deductible for professional (compensated) musicians.
Time Zone Tool
When will this event meet in my time zone?
Gather the date and time in USA Central Time / CST / CDT listed on the event. You will need this information to plug into the tool.
Click here and then enter the following:
1. Event Location: type "Chicago" and then click "Chicago - Illinois USA" in dropdown box
2. Enter Month / Day / Year of event (example: 05 / 24 / 2025)
3. Hour of event: choose the time in USA Central Time from the dropdown box (example: 14 - 2 pm)
4. Click the button: "Show Result"
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IMPORTANT: If your location will undergo a time change during the course, be sure to follow this process regarding the time of your course after the date of the time change as well.