The Southeastern Liturgical Music Symposium will gather musicians interested in sacred music. Its focus will be on the opportunities and challenges as the church implements the new translation of the Roman Missal later this year.

The symposium begins on Friday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m. and continues on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Atlanta, it will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 2855 Briarcliff Road, NE, Atlanta.

The Atlanta Archdiocesan Festival Choir will perform at the opening on Friday, followed by a reception. The musical selection is “Rejoice in the Lamb: Sacred Music in England.”

A new addition to the annual event is a roundtable discussion featuring all of the weekend presenters.

Father Douglas Martis, a priest of the Diocese of Joliet, Ill., will be giving the keynote address titled “Sing Wisely.”

Father Martis is the director of the Liturgical Institute and chairman of the Worship Department at Mundelein Seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He earned a doctorate in sacramental theology and in history of religion and religious anthropology.  He is editor of “Mundelein Psalter” and is currently writing a 20-part series on the sacred liturgy for “Christ Is Our Hope” magazine.

Breakout sessions will include talks by presenters:

Father Jan Michael Joncas will be speaking about “Music for the Order of Mass.” He is a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis and an associate professor of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul. He has composed and arranged over 300 pieces of liturgical music.

Scott Turkington, the organist and choirmaster for the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston, S.C., will speak about “Music for the New Translation: Our Generation’s Golden Opportunity.”

Alan Hommerding, the senior liturgy publications editor at World Library Publication, will talk about revaluating the roles of choir and the organ in Mass. His talk is titled “A New Translation: Time for a New Listen.”

Ken Canedo, a liturgical composer and author of the podcast www.spiritandsong.com, will talk about “And With Your Spirit: Catholic Youth and the New Roman Missal.”

Advance registration is $55 for an individual, which includes lunch, with escalating discounts for five or more participants who register as a group. Tickets at the door cost $75. For more information, see the website at www.archatl.com/slms or contact the Office of Divine Worship of the Archdiocese of Atlanta at (404) 920-7335 or by e-mail at odw@archatl.com.