The Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians (CRCCM) met at Cathedral of Saint Paul in Birmingham, Alabama for its forty-third annual gathering.  Bruce Ludwick, Director of Music, planned and directed the conference. The weather in Birmingham for the week was surprisingly mild and lovely for January, and conference attendees were able to get to the city without major issues. 

MONDAY 5 JANUARY 2026

The Conference began with Solemn Mass for the Memorial of Saint John Neumann in the Cathedral Church. The Most Reverend Steven J. Raica, Bishop of Birmingham, was the celebrant. The music for Mass consisted of “Introitus from the Missa Brevis” by Zoltan Kodaly for the organ prelude; Faith of Our Fathers (Saint Catherine) for the Entrance Hymn; Sacerdotes Dei for the Entrance Antiphon; Kyrie from the Missa Brevis of Kodaly; the Mass XI Gloria; Maria durch ein Dornwald ging (Mary walks amid thorns) arranged by Stefan Claas as the Offertory Motet; O Sacrum Convivium á 5 by Andrea Gabrieli as the Post Communion Motet; As with Gladness Men of Old (Dix) as the Closing Hymn; and “Ite Missa Est” from the Missa Brevis by Kodaly as the Postlude. The Cathedral Choir sang beautifully, and the congregation sang enthusiastically on the hymns and service music! 

The Cathedral of Saint Paul is the mother church of the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama. Designed by Chicago architect Adolphus Druiding, the Victorian Gothic-style brick building was completed as a parish church in 1893. It was elevated to cathedral status with the creation of the Diocese of Birmingham in 1969. The Cathedral is a handsome building with a nice and balanced acoustic. In 2021, a new organ by the Noack Company of Georgetown, Massachusetts was installed in the gallery (Opus 164). The organ is a three-manual instrument of sixty stops with two enclosed divisions; its tonal architecture is strongly shaped by French influence. The key action is mechanical, and the organ has a comfortable detached console.

Following the Mass, the Cathedral hosted a welcome reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres in the Church Hall. During the reception, CRCCM members were able to see the change-ringing bell tower in the courtyard of the Cathedral. The Cathedral has the only change-ringing bell tower at a Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States.  The tower, with eight bells cast by the Whitechapel foundry in England, was donated by Mrs. Anna Catharine Grace, a benefactor of many parish and diocesan liturgical and musical initiatives, such as the Cathedral pipe organ which bears her name. CRCCM members were able to see the bells up close and practice ringing them. It was a very informative, unique, and fun experience. After the reception, festivities continued at the conference Colloquium at the Tutwiler Hotel. 

TUESDAY 6 JANUARY 2026

Tuesday began with Sung Lauds in the Cathedral. Following Lauds, Mr. Didier Grassin of the Noack Organ company discussed the evolution and construction of the Cathedral’s Noack Organ. After the presentation, the group met for the CRCCM business meeting. Several items were discussed. Marc Cerisier, CRCCM Steering Committee Chair, led an interesting discussion of copyright issues related to the USCCB. Lunch was provided at the Cathedral by the Noack Organ Company. 

The afternoon consisted of visits to Vulcan Park to sightsee, as well as a visit to Independent Presbyterian Church to see the 2012 Dobson Organ. IPC has a lovely Gothic church building, and the campus is quite beautiful. Dr. Jeff McLelland, Music Director, performed a thirty-minute recital demonstrating the large and flexible Dobson Organ. John Panning, president of the Dobson Company, also was able to visit Birmingham and talk about the organ. After the afternoon excursions, there was time for dinner. 

The evening concluded with a Festival Recital by Organist Isabelle Demers. The repertoire consisted of the Canonic Variations on “Von Himmel hoch”, BWV 769 by Johann Sebastian Bach; two movements from L’ Orgue Mystique #35, “In Assumptione B.M.V.” by Charles Tournemire; Sonata #1, Op. 90 by Rachel Laurin; and the Phantasie űber “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” by Max Reger. A native of Québec and a doctoral graduate of the Juilliard School, Dr. Demers is Associate Professor of Organ at McGill University (Montréal, Québec) and, from 2025-2027 the visiting professor of organ at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. She was formerly the Joyce Bowden Chair in Organ and Head of the Organ Program at Baylor University (Waco, Texas). 

WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY 2026

Wednesday began with Sung Lauds in the Cathedral Church. After Lauds, Dr. Fred Teardo presented the third presentation of the conference. Dr. Teardo is Director of Music and Liturgy at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. He is also Director of the Choral Ensemble at Advent Episcopal School, as well as University Organist and Lecturer in Organ at Samford University. Prior to his appointment at the Advent in 2012, he held a six-year tenure at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York City, where he served as Assistant Organist and then Associate Organist to the late John Scott. His presentation was titled “complexity in Cathedral Music Programs: the role of the Director in Maintaining Worship as Central.” Dr. Teardo talked about the complexity of developing and maintaining a music program in the context of a cathedral or large parish setting. He said “One of the challenges in all of this is how do we do our jobs effectively and yet stay out of the way in order to keep worship as the focal point in all that we do. This can be particularly difficult with aspects of the job that are seemingly devoid of worship, whether that’s answering endless emails or having regular rehearsals, but it is important to remember that all roads lead to that one common purpose.” He talked about the role of music in liturgy, the Cathedral as “Musical Standard”, and other aspects of Cathedral musical life. 

The fourth presentation of the conference was by Mr. Francisco Carbonell and was titled “Writing Music for the Church Today.” Francisco Carbonell is an internationally awarded Spanish composer, having received prizes in more than twenty composition competitions. He completed his studies in composition at the Conservatoire of Valencia, Spain, and later continued his formation at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, where he earned the highest academic distinction, summa cum laude.

The fifth presentation of the conference was by Dr. Joseph Sargent: “Catholic Identity in William Byrd’s Compositional Practice”. Joseph Sargent is Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Alabama. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford University and is a tenor staff singer at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Active as a researcher of both English Renaissance and modern American music, his recent projects include the first published biography of American composer Leo Sowerby as well as a critical edition of service music by English Renaissance composer Nathaniel Giles.

On Wednesday evening the conference gathered in the Cathedral Church for Solemn Vespers for the Memorial of Saint Raymond of Peñafort with the Very Reverend Bryan W. Jerabek (Cathedral Rector) as the celebrant and homilist. The Cathedral Choir sang a setting of the Magnificat by Jan Dismas Zelenka, and Father Jerabek gave a delightful homily about Saint Raymond of Peñafort. 

THURSDAY 8 JANUARY 2026

Thursday began with Sung Lauds in the Cathedral Church. After Lauds, Marc Cerisier gave an incredibly useful and informative presentation titled “Technology for the Modern Cathedral Musician.” 
Marc is an organist, composer, arranger, and engraver living in the greater Houston area. After graduating from Mississippi College, he served for twelve years on the music staff at the Cathedral of the 
Immaculate Conception in Memphis, Tennessee—eventually serving as Director of Music for both the cathedral and the Diocese of Memphis. He currently serves as Associate Organist at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, where he oversees the Spanish-language music program. He discussed in detail page design software, engraving software, and other related issues in technology. 

After the presentation, the second business meeting of the conference was held. In the afternoon, several members presented individual compositions at the choral reading session in the gallery of the Cathedral. The conference concluded with a wonderful cocktail hour and closing banquet at the Florentine in downtown Birmingham. 

In conclusion, the Birmingham Conference of CRCCM was a wonderful success. The conference was well planned and had a wonderful balance of presentations and liturgies, as well as plenty of downtime for fun and fellowship. I was very pleasantly surprised about the restaurant scene in Birmingham! The conference hotel was wonderful, and it was a short walk to the Cathedral. Thanks to Bruce Ludwick and everyone from the Cathedral of Saint Paul for organizing such a lovely week! 

Beau Baldwin, Organist and Director of Music
Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Little Rock