Ministry of Music

Schola Cantorum

The Fordham University Schola Cantorum is a select ensemble consisting of graduate and undergraduate students that provides musical leadership at the 11:00 a.m. Mass each Sunday in the University Church and is heard by a wide audience in the metropolitan area over the live radio broadcast by WFUV 90.7 FM. The repertoire of the choir is varied, and regularly includes Renaissance motets, twentieth-century liturgical music, and music of the world church. In addition to the Sunday Eucharist the choir participates at special liturgical celebrations throughout the year, including the Festival of Lessons and Carols (with the University Choir), the Holy Week Liturgies, and the Baccalaureate Mass. Members of the choir often serve as cantors and leaders of song. Membership is by audition.  Undergraduate students receive ensemble credit.

Director: Robert Minotti

Campus: Rose Hill

Type of Ensemble: Liturgical/Worship - Mixed Voices

Membership: 20-25

Who are we?

We are Graduate and Undergraduate students from the Rose Hill Campus.

What do we do?

We sing at the 11:00 AM Solemn Mass at the University Church and University events, such as the Festival of Lessons and Carols, Holy Week Liturgies, and Baccalaureate Mass.

What type of music do we sing?

Motets, Choral Anthems, Gregorian Chant accompanied by Pipe Organ. (New Pipe Organ installed Fall of 2012!)

When do we rehearse?

Tuesday Evenings, 6:30-8:30 PM

Sunday Mornings, 10:00 AM before the 11:00 AM Mass

Gloria Dei Choir

The Gloria Dei Choir ministers at the 8:00 p.m. Sunday Mass in the University Church.  The choir consists of singers and instrumentalists or all types and specializes in contemporary liturgical music. An audition with the director or a general choral audition is required.

Director: Vincent Peterson

Campus: Rose Hill

Type of Ensemble: Liturgical/Worship

Membership: 20-30 singers and intrumentalists

Who are we?

We are students from the Rose Hill Campus.

What do we do?

We sing at the 8:00 PM Mass in the University Church and join the Schola Cantorum for special liturgies including the New Student Welcome Mass, Gaudete Sunday, and the Baccalaureate Mass.

What type of music do we sing?

We sing varied repetoire specializing in contemporary liturgical music.

When do we rehearse?

Thursday evenings and Sunday evenings at 6:30 PM.

University Choir

The sixty voice University Choir is a select mixed ensemble comprised of students from the University’s Rose Hill (Concert Choir) and Lincoln Center (Chamber Singers) campuses.The Choir keeps a full performance schedule that includes five campus concerts and an annual tour. The Choir often performs at various venues in the New York metropolitan area, including Carnegie Hall, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Highlights of each choir season include the Family Weekend Mass, the Festival of Lessons and Carols each December, and the Spring Concert, which features a major choral work with orchestra. Past performances include Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, and Mozart’s Requiem. The Choir has performed in many major U.S. cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Internationally, the Choir has performed in Canada, Italy, and Spain. Membership is by audition. Students receive ensemble credit.

Director: Robert Minotti

Campus: Rose Hill & Lincoln Center

Type of Ensemble: Performance - mixed voices

Membership: 65-80

Who are we?

We are students from the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

What do we do?

• Perform at concerts and events
• 5 campus concerts (Rose Hill and Lincoln Center)
• Major Choral Work in the Spring
• Annual Tour
• University Events (Founder's Dinner, Baccalaureate, Commencement, and more)
• Athletic Games

What type of music do we sing?

We sing sacred and secular music from the Choral Tradition accompanied by Piano or Orchestra.

When do we rehearse?

Rose Hill: Mondays and Wednesdays 5:30-7:00 PM

Lincoln Center: Thursdays 12:00-2:00 PM

Extra Rehearsals on Concert Weekends

Follow us on Instagram!

@fordhamuchoir

Women's Choir

The Fordham University Women’s Choir focuses on development of the female voice, both technically and artistically. It also strives to introduce its members to literature from all music history eras and genres. Membership to this ensemble is open to students from both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. Membership is by audition. Students receive ensemble credit.

Director: Stephen Fox

Campus: Rose Hill

Type of Ensemble: Performance - Women's Voices

Membership: 45-50

Who are we?

We are students from the Rose Hil and Lincoln Center Campuses.

What do we do?

Perform 5 campus concerts (Rose Hill & Lincoln Center)

What type of music do we sing?

Varied repetoire of choral music arranged for women's voices accompanied by Piano or Orchestra.

When do we rehearse?

Tuesday 7:00-9:00 PM, Rose Hill Campus

Contact Robert Minotti at [email protected] to schedule an audition IF YOU MISS THESE TIMES.

A simple, short audition is required for membership in the University Choir, Women's Choir, and Schola Cantorum. The audition consists of:

• Vocal Warm-Up
• Sing a song of your choice or a verse of "My Country 'Tis of Thee"
• Sing back intervals
• Simple sight singing example

Please contact Mr. Robert Minotti, [email protected], with any questions!

More information can be found at the Festival of Lessons and Carols website.

 All Hallows Candlelight Concert

James Boyce, O.Carm. Memorial Organ Concert

Fall Family Weekend Concert

Spring Concert

The original Roosevelt Tracker organ in the University Church was built in 1879 and it brought a distinctly French Baroque sound to the center of spiritual life at Rose Hill for more than 130 years. That organ was expanded and converted to an electro-pneumatic instrument in 1929 and restored by the Lehigh Organ Company in 1979. The new Maior Dei Gloria (“Greater Glory to God”) Organ, built by Schoenstein & Co. in California, was installed in November 2012. “The old organ was built to emulate an organ you would find during the Baroque era in France, so it lacked a lot of what we call color stops,” said Robert Minotti, Fordham’s director of liturgical music. “It didn’t have a lot of foundational stops to support congregational singing, so it didn’t have the variety of sounds that are expected today in liturgical celebrations, which often go from Baroque music to contemporary music in supporting hymns.” In addition to a greater range, the new organ is equipped with technology that fosters better coordination between it and the smaller organ at the front of the church. To achieve its full array of sounds, the new organ occupies more space on the choir loft wall of the church, with pipes that play the eight lowest notes taking up as much as two feet each in diameter.