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With major renovations completed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, music director Thomas Savoy also saw an opportunity for renewal of the cathedral's sacred music - so a group simply called "Cathedral Music" has been created for that purpose.

It is also Mr. Savoy's hope that the group promotes the cathedral as a haven for art, culture and music.

The group is "really in its infancy right now," said Mr. Savoy, "but I'm hearing singing in the Church again, which is a good sign."

At one time, said the music director, the cathedral was the musical envy of the country. With a number of chant groups, a resident orchestra and a 75-voice choir, the historic church became renowned for its sacred music.

Randy Koniowka, an organist and co-founder of Cathedral Music, said that, "going back to the 19th century, music has been so important to the liturgy and the congregation, so we just want to bring that back, really making music the centerpiece of the liturgy as it was historically."

He's eager to promote the group because of his own experience as a parish music minister.

"Ever since I was 12 years old, I just remember being captivated by sacred music and how it heightened the spirituality of the Mass," he told The Evangelist. "Now, with this program, you see that the music captivates the parishioners. I look out at their faces and they're so in tune with the Mass. Music has remarkable power to draw you in."

Mr. Savoy has also seen the change in the cathedral's congregation: "We're getting a lot of positive feedback and the numbers are slowly getting larger on the weekends. It's really reinforcing the prayer life of the cathedral."

Cathedral Music has brought an increase in publicity. Mailers have been sent to the surrounding community, entailing the music planned for the liturgical year. The cathedral will also open its doors to more concerts, musicians and artists.

On Oct. 2, Mr. Savoy and his wife, Deborah, performed Mozart's "Exsultate Jubilate" at the cathedral. On Nov. 18, there will be a concert of music drawn from the cathedral's musical archives from 1876 to 1936. Composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Hummel, Ambroise Thomas and Dubois will all be represented.

The cathedral also plans to offer "a Catholic take" on the city of Albany's First Friday celebrations, with Mass with the choir and benediction afterward.

"We're trying to reclaim that tradition of Mass on the first Friday of each month," Mr. Savoy noted. "We want to provide an opportunity for quiet and devotional time."

He also wants to build the cathedral's music program from the inside, holding auditions for choir members and inviting more instrumentalists to share their talents with the parish.

"There are currently 16 people in choir and it's been growing steadily, but we'd like to see it grow because the cathedral has to set an example for the other churches in the Diocese," said Mr. Savoy.

"Things are just getting started," he added, "but we want to remind people that the cathedral is a center for the community, a liturgical and cultural center. We want to create and sustain a music program worthy of our cathedral."[[In-content Ad]]

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