Magdalen College students immerse themselves in the great tradition of Catholic sacred music by participating in the all-college choir for four years. In response to the prevailing culture of passivity and consumption in relation to the arts, Magdalen College students become active contributors to sounding beauty, even if they have never sung before.
The primary purpose of the choir is to enrich the liturgy through the singing of chant, polyphony, and the best of the Church’s hymnody. Through participation in the choir, students not only immerse themselves in the musical treasures of the Church and experience beauty in new and profound ways, they also become attuned to the rhythms of the liturgical calendar.
The full choir or smaller ensembles have the opportunity to sing at the Cathedral for the annual Red Mass, for the Advent Lessons and Carols Service on the feast of Saint Nicholas, and at other local events and parishes. The highlight for the choir each year is Holy Week and Easter. Over the years the choir has produced five cd’s and has been invited to sing at parishes and events across the Northeast.
The choir of Magdalen College also serves the greater Church by creating a model for liturgical renewal. After experiencing the beauty and reverence of a liturgy enhanced through sacred music, many students take their experiences at the college to their parishes and contribute to beautiful worship for many years after graduation.
Polyphony Choir
The Magdalen College Polyphony Choir is a select group of students who sing more challenging sacred music including motets by Palestrina, Byrd, Tallis, Gabrieli and Victoria. The Polyphony Choir is an extension of the mission of Magdalen College, offering the best of ourselves to God in the liturgy, expressed through music. The Polyphony Choir sings monthly at Mass on campus as well as at special events throughout each semester. The highlight of the group’s musical activities is the Polyphony Choir Tour, a four-day tour throughout New England.
Chant Schola
The Magdalen College Chant Schola sings the great chants from the church’s beautiful sacred music tradition. The Chant Schola prepares music for Masses in the ordinary and extraordinary form as well as the Melkite Divine Liturgy. They typically sing the traditional chants for All Souls’ Day, All Saints’ Day, the Presentation of Our Lord, Good Friday and Easter Wednesday. Previous experience singing chant is not required to participate in the Chant Schola.
Byzantine Iconography (1 credit)
In this studio course, students learn the fundamentals of Byzantine iconography, being guided through the basic process, art, and language of the icon. Students are led step-by-step through the creation of a simple and beautiful icon of Christ or of our Lady with her son.
Studio Drawing (1 credit)
Through the studio art courses, students can shed the noise and distraction of the week, spending time drawing and painting while “learning to see again.” The fall drawing course uses a variety of exercises to help students “see what’s really there” and experiment with the challenge of representing three dimensional shape and value on two dimensional paper. Students in the fall course draw faces, landscapes (plein air), natural objects, architectural and perspective exercises using pencil, pastel, and charcoal. They learn how to set up a scene that pleases the eye and how to avoid common mistakes. Value, line, composition, perspective, and proportions are taught.
Studio Painting (1 credit)
Building on the semester of Studio Drawing, the spring semester introduces color theory and painting techniques, particularly with watercolor as well as tempera, pastel and acrylic or oil, according to student interest. Advanced students may work on individual projects.
Honors: Beauty and Artistic Form (1 credit)
In this course students explore both the philosophy of art, through reflection on how art is made, and aesthetics, through reflection on our experience of art. Students take up writings by a wide variety of authors, including Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, St. Augustine, St. Thomas, Kant, Tolstoy, Benjamin, Sontag, Maritain, Gilson, Hildebrand, and Pope Saint John Paul II.
The Josef Pieper Prize
To honor the memory of Josef Pieper and to contribute directly to the renewal of culture, Magdalen College has created the Josef Pieper Prize, a prize awarded for a new work of art created by a student in dialogue with an existing work of visual, musical, or literary art.
The winner of the prize presents his or her work to the collegiate community as part of the Easter Vigil Feast, thereby linking directly and publicly those elements–according to Pieper–that give birth to the creation of culture: sacrifice, worship, feasting, and leisure. The winning work is performed for the collegiate community or, in the case of a literary submission, distributed to the community.
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In addition to this public honor, the winner will receive a modest gift that will enable the artist to further his or her creative activities.General requirements for submissions:
The existing work must be a recognizable visual, musical, or literary creation of superlative quality.
The new work must have been informed in a significant way by an established and canonical work of great merit, i.e., the established and new works must exist in dialogue with each other.
Important note: the submissions need not be explicitly religious. Both religious and non-religious works will be judged on their aesthetic merit.
The work must be submitted to the Josef Pieper Prize Committee, via Mrs. Iverson, by 3:00 p.m. on the first Monday in March. This Committee will be convened ad hoc to judge the submissions. The details of the presentation of the winning submission at the Vigil Feast will fall to the judgment of the Committee.
Submissions should include:
The artist’s name
The name of the established work that has informed the new work and a brief description of how the old and new works exist in dialogue
For literary works, the text of both the old and the new works should be submitted together
For visual works, the new work itself should be submitted along with a photo reproduction of the informing work
For musical works, a recording of the new work should be submitted and if possible the work should be rendered in musical notation. (The latter is not necessary.) If the musical work contains a text, this should be submitted as well. A recording of the informing musical work should also be provided or access to the work through some other medium should be made available.
In five different states & seven cities, Magdalen’s acclaimed 20-voice Polyphony Choir will present a concert of sacred music for Advent and Christmastide. It features the works of Byrd, Palestrina, Victoria, Joubert, Darke, Todd, and others. Join us for a feast of sacred music capped off by familiar carols for all present to join in...
The Orthodox tradition speaks of “writing” rather than “painting” icons. Several Magdalen students and graduates recently enjoyed a fascinating opportunity to “Write the Light” in Greece. The occasion was the Summer Iconography School taught by renowned master iconographer Dr. George Kordis. Mrs. Keri Weidersphan, who teaches iconography at Magdalen, helped organize and run the event....
This past Holy Week, the Magdalen College Polyphony Choir traveled to the Cathedral of Saint Joseph to sing for the diocesan Chrism Mass. The Chrism Mass, occurring once a year as the Church is poised to enter the Sacred Paschal Triduum, is one of the most solemn rites that takes place in a cathedral....
On a recent Sunday, Magdalen’s polyphony choir traveled to Saint John the Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton, MA, to sing with Cor Unum Chorale under the direction of acclaimed composer and conductor Paul Jernberg. The polyphony choir is Magdalen’s premiere ensemble, auditioned annually and entrusted with singing the finest sacred music in the...
Magdalen College is delighted to announce the new Director of Collegiate Choirs, Tristan Smith. Mr. Smith is a graduate of Magdalen College and is well-equipped to continue the beautiful sacred music traditions at the college. His musical background includes providing music for liturgies at parishes in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maryland. In addition to directing...
Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts is delighted to announce that students and alumni of the College have been selected to participate in an iconography workshop under the renowned iconographer George Kordis. This extraordinary program, “Writing the Light,” will be held in Athens and Crete late this summer. Through generous benefactors, Ms. Keri Wiederspahn, who...
Session I
June 18 – July 1, 2023
Registration is now open.
Students will have the opportunity to take one of the following courses for college credit. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and consider whether they might like to pursue that academic discipline as a potential college major. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Courses:
Physics: Understanding Boomerangs, Billiard Balls, and Balance Beam Routines (1 credit) – Mr. John Klucinec
This course explores the laws of motion as described by Galileo and Newton by reading and discussing these authors and through classroom experiments. Students will gain an understanding of physics in concrete phenomena through studying air flight, fluid dynamics, the aerodynamics of the boomerang, the motion of billiard balls, and the physics of gymnastics and diving.
Moral Philosophy: How Do We Make the Right Decisions? (1 credit) – Rev. Fr. Stephen Rocker
Natural law morality and utilitarianism are incompatible frameworks of moral reasoning, yet elements of both are mixed in the public mind. Catholic moral teaching and the Western system of law are grounded in natural law. This course will present these two moral frameworks and apply them to moral issues.
Poetry and Politics in the Western Tradition (1 credit) – Dr. Mary Mumbach
This course will examine poetic form and political form in the tradition of the West. Students will explore, in particular, how the Incarnation shapes the roles of imagination, prudence, and the heroic in literature and political philosophy. Readings in poetry, fiction, and American Founding documents will be considered.
Tuition:
$395.00 USD Tuition includes room and board. The purchase of a book may be required for some classes. Students should bring spending money for off-campus trips.
Session II
July 9 – 22, 2023
Registration is now open.
Students will have the opportunity to take one of the following courses for college credit. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and consider whether they might like to pursue that academic discipline as a potential college major. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Courses:
Theology of the Body: The Deeper Meaning of Love, Sex, and Marriage (1 credit) – Dr. Ryan Messmore
When it comes to romantic relationships and marriage, today’s culture is awash in confusion. The Church calls people to see a deeper meaning to sexual desire and marriage. But what is that, and how can it be pursued in modern times? Saint Pope John Paul II has provided valuable teaching in this area. Along with his “Theology of the Body,” this course will explore the nature of love, the meaning of betrothal and marriage, and sexual ethics from a Christian perspective. Class discussions will be theological and philosophical as well as practical.
Philosophy & Humanities: Friendship in Western Culture (1 credit) – Dr. Brian FitzGerald and Dr. Erik Van Versendaal One of the most important features of human experience is friendship. Drawing on the great books of Western culture in literature, history, philosophy, and theology, from Aristotle and St. Augustine to Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis, this course will reflect on the nature of friendship across the centuries. Why do we need friends? What makes a good one? What are some obstacles to friendship? What happens as friends grow and mature in different ways?
Christ in Scripture (1 credit) – Deacon Karl Cooper
“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” In this course we will seek to meet and understand Christ as he presents himself in all the Scriptures. We will read, discuss, enjoy, and pray through the most crucial texts, and focus our work on the living and present Christ.
Tuition:
$395.00 USD Tuition includes room and board. The purchase of a book may be required for some classes. Students should bring spending money for off-campus trips.
Collegiate Summer Programs Registration
Omega Session: College-Level Intensives for Credit
July 10 – 23, 2022
This session is now full.
Students will have the opportunity to earn one college credit by taking one of the following courses offered at Magdalen College. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and discover if it could lead to a college major or area of focus. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer liturgy, and sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Courses:
Myth in Philosophy: Seeking Wisdom through Poetry and Story (1 credit) – Dr. Erik van Versendaal
What is the relationship between poetry and philosophy? Why does speaking about ultimate things lead philosophers into the realms of poem and story? This course considers philosophical works that are undertaken in a poetic mode alongside poems that express philosophic truth.
Physics: Understanding Boomerangs, Billiard Balls, and Balance Beam Routines (1 credit) – Mr. John Klucinec
This course explores the laws of motion as described by Galileo and Newton, by reading and discussing these authors and through classroom experiments. Students will gain an understanding of physics in concrete phenomena: through the aerodynamics of the boomerang, the motion of billiard balls, fluid dynamics, air flight and the physics of gymnastics and diving.
Theology of the Body: The Deeper Meaning of Love, Sex, and Marriage (1 credit) – Dr. Ryan Messmore
When it comes to romantic relationships and marriage, today’s culture is awash in confusion. The Church calls people to see a deeper meaning to sexual desire and marriage. But what is that, and how can it be pursued in modern times?
Tuition:
$325.00 USD
Alpha Session: Engage a Variety of Liberal Arts Fields
June 19 – July 2, 2022
This session is now full.
Students will experience the joy of learning in a variety of liberal arts fields, including courses in literature, philosophy, theology, and politics. Taught primarily in Socratic-style seminar discussions, these courses allow students to read classic texts and wrestle with big questions across a range of disciplines. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, and sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.