“Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; cry out to the rock of our salvation.”

— Psalm 95:1

From the people of Israel praising God on the shores of the Red Sea in the book of Exodus to choirs of angels unceasingly singing in the book of Revelation, Scripture is filled with song. This reflects the central role music plays in the life of faith.  Great music lifts our minds and hearts to God. It directs us to the transcendent and gives us an intimation of the divine. Music also gives us the means to praise God where human speech fails.

A Catholic mind for music recognizes that the truly beautiful uniquely expresses something that is beautifully true — our deepest beliefs about reality, the human person, and God. For more than two thousand years, Christianity has inspired extraordinary music, from Gregorian chant to Medieval and Renaissance polyphony, from Bach’s Mass in B Minor to Baroque music of Latin America, from African-American spirituals to modern compositions.

The music departments of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art are heirs to this rich tradition. Students are introduced to sacred and secular music inspired by and embedded in the Catholic tradition — and they are trained to contribute to this great tradition as performers, scholars, educators, composers, and conductors.

In a particular way, the Institute of Sacred Music integrates the comprehensive study of music with the liturgical, theological, and liberal studies to prepare students to serve the Church as organists, conductors, music directors, and composers.