Musicians from around the Southeast will gather in Atlanta Aug. 16 for the first Southeastern Liturgical Music Symposium.

The symposium will be held Saturday, Aug.16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 353 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta. The advance registration fee for the day is $50, with group discounts available.

“While liturgical music is one of the most important elements of Catholic worship, the South has never had a forum to discuss and learn about liturgical music,” said Father Theodore Book, director of the Office of Divine Worship of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, which is hosting the event. Father Book says that the symposium is intended to provide that forum, as various national level speakers present ideas and techniques dealing with a wide range of contemporary musical issues.

The keynote speaker for the day will be Msgr. James Moroney, former director of the U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat on the Liturgy. He will discuss current liturgical music, addressing some of the sweeping changes expected in the liturgical life of parishes. A new translation of the missal is expected to render most current musical arrangements for the Mass obsolete and will require a variety of new compositions or adaptations of existing melodies. In addition, Msgr. Moroney will speak about the new “common repertoire” that all Catholic hymnals will be expected to include. A question-and-answer session will also be held with Msgr. Moroney.

The symposium will feature four nationally respected presenters who will discuss different areas of church music. Gary Daigle will present a workshop on “Contemporary Music in the Liturgy,” Father Cyprian Constantine, OSB, will present a workshop on “Chant for Small Parishes,” Deanna Light will present on “Cantors: Leading People to God Through Music,” and Jaime Cortez will present a session entitled “Singing Holy Week in a Multicultural Context.”

Each workshop will be repeated twice so that participants can attend two of the four presentations. The day will open with the celebration of the Mass and conclude with sung vespers.

Daigle’s work as a composer, artist and producer of pastoral music offers a wide range of musical, liturgical and pastoral experience to parish ministers and liturgical artists. He has a bachelor of music degree from Southeastern Louisiana University and also joined the program in liturgical studies in Arizona at the Corpus Christi Center for Liturgical Studies, the Southwestern epicenter for liturgical scholarship. Through his activities on the national conference and workshop scene, Daigle has continued to evolve and to produce music that not only serves the American church on a regular basis but has helped shape the American church’s aesthetic profile. Recently he served as liturgical consultant and music editor of the catechetical series “Christ Jesus, The Way,” published by Benziger Co.

Father Cyprian, a monk of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pa., will present a workshop on chant for small parishes. Father Cyprian is an assistant professor of fine arts and director of liturgical formation at St. Vincent Seminary. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music, a master’s of divinity and a doctor of musical arts degree in organ from the University of Colorado. Father Cyprian has taught and spoken extensively on liturgical music, especially chant.

Light, the daughter and granddaughter of music ministers, has been active in church music ever since she can remember. She holds bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish, as well as a master’s degree in liturgical studies from the Catholic University of America. She is currently co-director of music and liturgy at St. Brendan the Navigator Church, Cumming. She has worked with adult choirs, children’s choirs and contemporary ensembles, and conducts workshops for lectors and cantors. Light also has co-authored several songs with vocalist Paul Tate, published through World Library Publications.

Born in New York and raised in El Salvador, Cortez is fluent in both English and Spanish. His involvement in the pastoral music ministry at St. Bridget Church in Mesa, Ariz., reflects his long-term dedication to promoting better Hispanic liturgies and bringing cultures together for worship. Cortez has made presentations at the Los Angeles Hispanic Liturgy Conference, the Southwest Catechetical Leadership Conference and National Pastoral Musician conferences, as well as local events for the Diocese of Phoenix. In addition to workshops, Cortez gives concerts with both English and Spanish repertoire, alone or with volunteer groups. His main instrument is guitar, although he is proficient in piano and other stringed instruments such as charango, vihuela and bass guitar. Cortez earned a bachelor’s degree in music composition from Arizona State University.