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2026 Canticle Chant Conference
Please check back here for updated information in May.
Below are past details of the 2025 conference.

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Get the tools to build a thriving Sacred Music Program.

Are you ready to transform your parish or school through the beauty of sacred music? Whether you're starting from scratch or enhancing an existing program, the Canticle Chant Conference equips you with the tools, skills, and inspiration to elevate youth scholas and cultivate a love for chant.

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Why Attend the Canticle Chant Conference?​

  • Do you...

  • Want to start a youth schola in your school or parish?

  • Need strategies to grow an existing schola and take it to the next level?

  • Wonder how to teach chant to various age groups and skill levels?

  • Want hands on practice improving your conducting skills with a lab choir? 

  • Hope to build a culture of singing in your parish or school?

  • Desire to help youth develop a deep love for the Church through sacred music?

  • Want to explore chant as a catechetical tool for evangelization and faith formation?

  • If so, this conference is for you.

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"I learned how to conduct chant and received useful tips on how to run a choir”

What You Will Learn

  • Teaching Chant & Solfège: Fun, interactive games and tools for learning rhythm and pitch

  • Conducting Lab Choir: Hands-on practice to improve your conducting skills

  • Building Voices: Targeted vocalization, warm-ups, and choir development strategies

  • Choosing Repertoire: From beginner-friendly pieces to more advanced selections

  • Running Your Own Chant Camp: Repertoire, planning, and logistics

  • Professional Preparation: How to approach chant with confidence and mastery

  • Year-Long Planning: Tips for Masses, Christmas pageants, concerts, and more

  • The Canticle Model: Practical excellence in spirituality and scholarship

  • Curriculum Integration: Add chant seamlessly to your music classes

  • Community Engagement: Innovative ways to build support and excitement​

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Meet The Conductors

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Canticle Founder

Mary Ann Carr Wilson

Mary Ann Carr Wilson holds a B.M. and an M.M. from San Diego State University. Her post-graduate work has centered in the areas of vocal pedagogy and study with Gregorian chant masters in the United States, The Netherlands, Poland, and France. Her deepest gratitude goes to William Mahrt as her primary mentor, and she was blessed to learn from him and work alongside him from 2009 until 2024.

 

Having served nine years as Music Director at St. Anne Catholic Church in San Diego, Mary Ann led adult and youth choirs that specialized in Gregorian chant and renaissance polyphony, and offered classes for the musicians in the San Diego Diocese.

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Conductor

Paul Thomas May

Conductor and baritone Paul Thomas May is a vocalist and church musician native to San Diego, CA. He holds the post of Director of Music at St. Lawrence Church in downtown Harrisburg offering services of Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, as well as orchestral Masses. Mr. May is also the former director of the Cuyamaca Community College Choir and San Diego Mannskor, Norwegian Male Chorus, and has worked closely with many other professional ensembles including the Bach Collegium San Diego, and San Diego Pro Arte Voices. Most recently, Mr. May collaborated with Messiah University to conduct J.S. Bach's St. John Passion. His credentials include two degrees—Bachelor of Music and Master of Music—from San Diego State University in Professional Studies and Choral Conducting respectively.

Chant Conference Schedule

Monday, July 14 – The Canticle Model: Artfully Combining Scholarship & Spirituality

9:00 AM l  Continental breakfast, tea & coffee, check-in
9:30 AM – Prayer & Vocalises: Building a singing team that prays together
10:20 AM – Conducting Practicum
12:00 PM – Mass & Lunch
1:30 PM – Teaching Philosophy & Choir Management
2:20 PM – Break
2:30 PM – Integrated Sectionals & Conducting Practicum
4:40 PM – Break
5:00–6:00 PM – Rehearsal in Church
Conference Dinners on Your Own – Explore Little Italy
 

Tuesday, July 15 – The Art of Cantillation: How Singers Prepare A Cappella Vocal Music
 

9:00 AM – Continental breakfast, tea & coffee
9:30 AM – Prayer & Vocalises: How to prepare and introduce new chants
10:20 AM – Conducting Practicum
12:00 PM – Mass & Lunch
1:30 PM – Chant Purposes and Original Pedagogy
2:20 PM – Break
2:30 PM – Integrated Sectionals & Conducting Practicum
4:40 PM – Break
5:00–6:00 PM – Rehearsal in Church
 

Wednesday, July 16 – Tuneful Treasures: Foundational Chant Repertoire

9:00 AM – Continental breakfast, tea & coffee
9:30 AM – Prayer & Vocalises: Considerations for young voices
10:20 AM – Conducting Practicum
12:00 PM – Mass & Lunch
1:30 PM – Free & Low-Cost Sacred Music Resources
2:20 PM – Break
2:30 PM – Integrated Sectionals & Conducting Practicum
3:45 PM – Break

4:00 PM - Prepare Chants for Compline
5:00-6:00 PM - Rehearsal in Church and Vespers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

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Thursday, July 17 – Inspire and Catechize: How & Why to Lead a Chant Camp

9:00 AM - Continental breakfast, tea & coffee
9:30 AM - Prayer & Vocalises: Structuring a Chant Camp for your situation
10:20 AM - Conducting Practicum (with lab youth choir)
12:00 PM - Mass & Lunch
1:30 PM - Games to Build Movement & Inspiration
2:20 PM - Break
2:30 PM - Integrated Sectionals & Conducting Practicum
4:40 PM - Break
5:00–6:00 PM - Rehearsal in Church
 

Friday, July 18 – Moving Forward: Joyful Restoration of Timeless Prayer

9:00 AM – Continental breakfast, tea & coffee
9:30 AM – Prayer & Vocalises: Interactive Chant Camp Games
10:20 AM – Conducting Practicum (with lab youth choir)
12:00 PM – Group Lunch & Discussion
1:30 PM – Strategies: Sacred Music in Various Settings
2:20 PM – Break, Rehearsal in Church
3:00 PM - Missa Cantata / Sung Mass
5:00–6:00 PM – Conference Choir & Wrap-Up Cocktail Hour

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How the Canticle Model is Working for Music Educators & Their Students

Frequently Asked Questions

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Share the joy of sung prayer through Sacred Music

Conference 2024 Photos

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