Listen to the Music
On this page…
You’ll find selections from our history of music and music education. We’re also sharing some additional links to music content related to SNJM:
- The Kodály Foundation for Music Education
- “Sisters of the Holy Names,” written and performed by Mark Lennon (Venice, Cher, Phil Collins)
- “The Whole World Is Waiting for Love,” sung by St. Bede Catholic School students and written by Sister Marianne Misetich.
The Sisters of the Holy Names have always been musicians and music educators. The Sisters’ ministry has included teaching thousands of students as well as founding music education centers (including the Marie Rose Music Studio in Windsor, Ontario and Holy Names Music Center in Spokane, Washington). We’ve found that the ministry of music allows us to connect with one another in deep and beautiful ways. On an episode of the SNJM podcast Women on a Mission, Sister Karen Conlin said that “an encounter with beautiful music… is an encounter with the divine.”
Magnificat
“Magnificat,” was composed by Sister Mary Teresine Fonder (1897-1988). Sister Mary Teresine was renowned as an organist and music teacher at Marylhurst College for 35 years. She composed “Magnificat” for female voices in 1956.
This recording comes from the Holy Names Centenary Concert, celebrating 100 years in the Northwest, which took place on May 1, 1959, at Civic Auditorium in Portland. Guest conductor for the concert was Roger Wagner, founder and conductor of the Roger Wagner Chorale, head of the music department at Marymount College in Los Angeles, composer, arranger and well-respected symphonic conductor. The enormous choir consisted of Sisters of the Holy Names from Oregon and Washington and their students. Members of the Portland Symphony as well as Sisters comprised the orchestra.
In high school at Ramona, Sister Miriam Edward directed the orchestra and music department. She continued to nurture my love for music, which has led to a lifetime rich with beauty and the healing power of music. I give thanks for the Holy Names Sisters who have been my teachers, inspiration, mentors, community and friends throughout my life.
Till We Meet Again
“Till We Meet Again” was composed by Sister Barbara Pires. It appeared on the 1968 album “To Love is To Listen,” a collection of songs written by Sister Barbara that was performed by New York Province Holy Names Sisters Barbara Pires, Maureen Baillargeon, Diane Baillargeon, Kathleen Keller, Patricia Moffitt and Janet Walton. The album was a fundraiser for construction of the Holy Names Arts Center in Albany, New York.
In junior high at St. Anthony’s in San Gabriel, CA, Sister Dorothy Nolan conducted a children’s choir in which I loved singing. In those days we were accompanied by pipe organ. I fell in love with the pipe organ and the idea of conducting choirs; I learned to do both. In 1977 and 1978, I helped to direct the Congress Choir for the L.A. Religious Education Congress. I have accompanied many events with organ or piano. All was inspired by the two years with Sister Dorothy!
Chronicle of Creation
“Chronicle of Creation” was composed by Sister Anne Cecile Daigle (1908-1988) as a suite for orchestra in four movements: sinfonia, chorale, fughetta and scherzo gigue. The piece was first composed in 1953 but Sister Anne Celine continued to refine it for the rest of her life. After receiving her Ph.D. in music from the University of Southern California, she taught music and composition at Holy Names College in Spokane and Marylhurst College until her retirement in 1992. Sister Anne Celine’s skill as a composer was widely recognized during her lifetime and her compositions were played by numerous orchestras on the West Coast.
This recording comes from the same Holy Names Centenary Concert as the recording of Sister Mary Teresine Fonder’s “Magnificat,” with a choir consisting of Holy Names Sisters from Oregon and Washington and their students and an orchestra made up of Holy Names Sisters and members of the Portland Symphony.
I took an introduction to jazz piano and a guitar class at the Academy of the Holy Names in Silver Spring, MD, in the late 70s, and today I am preparing a jazz piece for a recital next month in which my students and I are performing. Whenever I have an opportunity to teach or be in front of an audience, I remember the many classrooms I was in and the teachers who inspired to me.
Psalm 138, Thanksgiving Psalm
“Psalm 138, Thanksgiving Psalm” was composed by Sister Miriam Malone and recorded in 1977 as part of the album “In the Hollow of His Hand,” a collection of song prayers and scripture hymns. With former SNJM Millie Rieth on vocals and Sister Miriam Malone on guitar, the album was intended as a “gift of song” to the listener.
Prelude No. 17, Op. 28 in A flat major
“Prelude No. 17, Op. 28 in A flat major” by Frederic Chopin was originally published in 1839. This performance of the piece by Sister Annette Covatta (1928-2020) was recorded at the SNJM Chapel at Marylhurst in December 2011. Sister Annette began playing the piano at age six and quickly displayed prodigious talent. She went on to earn a doctorate in musical arts from Boston University. Although an excellent concert pianist, much of her ministry was spent teaching piano and directing glee clubs at SNJM schools.
Podcast: Holy Names Sisters: Women on a Mission
An episode of the SNJM podcast explores the Holy Names Sisters’ history of music education with an interview with lifelong musicians and music educators Sister Karen Conlin and Sister Claire Durocher, who discuss what music study can teach us about life and how music helps us persevere.
Additional links to music content:
- Holy Names Music Center in Spokane, Washington.
- The Kodály Foundation for Music Education in Oakland, California.
- Mark Lennon’s song, “Sisters of the Holy Names,” written in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of the Holy Names in California.
- Sister Margaret Ball shares a Modoc ritual song.
- St. Bede Catholic School students sing “The Whole World Is Waiting for Love,” written by Sister Marianne Misetich.