Music at Mount Calvary

As we are reminded by the inscription found on our organ, Veni Creator Spiritus, the purpose of music at Mount Calvary is to invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives. Gathering each week to worship Almighty God, we strive to offer up to Him music that is worthy of His Name, music of depth and beauty performed at the highest standards.

In each service, we sing ancient plainchant melodies that have adorned the sacred texts of the liturgy for many centuries. We also sing polyphonic anthems drawn primarily from the Renaissance period, a time when the finest composers in Europe wrote choral music for the church. This music has a sublime beauty that evokes a spirit of reverence and worship. It has a spiritual depth often lacking in the everyday music of our time, both secular and sacred.

As an Anglican Use parish within the Roman Catholic Church, Mt Calvary continues a tradition of choral excellence inherited from its Anglican patrimony. The choir consists of professional singers and highly skilled volunteers. It provides music for the 10:00 am service on Sundays and principal feast days from September through May. Singers interested in joining the choir are invited to contact the choirmaster.

We hope that you will join us at Mount Calvary in lifting up Christ in the beauty of holiness.

Our Music Staff

Dr. Allen Buskirk
Choirmaster

Dr. Buskirk joined Mt Calvary as the choirmaster in June 2015. He obtained his graduate degree in choral conducting at Brigham Young University where he studied with Ronald Staheli and Rosalind Hall. One of the highlights of his time at BYU was spending a semester in London attending rehearsals and concerts by the great British choirs including The Tallis Scholars, The Sixteen, and Tenebrae. He is passionate about Renaissance polyphony and founded the Cantorum Chamber Choir to introduce early music to audiences in Utah (to learn more, visit cantorum.info) Dr. Buskirk may be contacted through the email form on our contact page.

Mr. Tomasz Robak
Organist and Associate Choirmaster

Mr. Robak first performed live in front of an audience as a six year old boy, singing the responsorial psalm at his small village church in Bolesław, Poland. Ever since then, he has been involved in music ministry, and has worked as an organist for churches in Chicago and Houston. He has been proudly serving as Organist at Mount Calvary Catholic Church in Baltimore since April 2014. Primarily trained as a pianist, Mr. Robak has also studied organ with Donald Sutherland while at Peabody Conservatory. In addition to his work at Mount Calvary, he maintains an active performing schedule, and is the Assistant Conductor of the Baltimore Children's Choir.

The Organ

Built in 1961, the organ at Mount Calvary was the result of a collaboration between the famous Dutch organ builder, Dirk Flentrop, and Charles Fisk, the owner of the Andover Organ Company.

One of the first instruments of its kind in the United States, this organ is particularly significant for its tonal design, which closely follows the model established by the famous North German Baroque organ builder, Gottfried Silbermann. The case design is based on the Gothic organ case in Amiens Cathedral in France. For more information about this wonderful instrument, please visit cbfisk.com.

This Week's Calendar

• Friday - December 14
  St John of the Cross, Press and Doctor of the Church
  Memorial
  5:30 pm: Spoken Mass
  6:30 pm: Book Group
  
• Saturday - December 15
  Advent Feria
  No public Mass
  
• Sunday - December 16
  Third Sunday of Advent
  8:00 am - Spoken Mass
  9:00 am - Catechism of the Good Shepherd
  9:00 am - Adult Catechesis
  9:30 am - Confessions
  10:00 am - Sung Mass
  4:00 pm - Informal Evensong
  
• Monday - December 17
  O Sapientaia
  No public Mass
  
• Tuesday - December 18
  O Adonai
  12:10 pm: Spoken Mass
  
• Wednesday - December 19
  O Radix Jesse
  12:10 pm: Spoken Mass
  
• Thursday - December 20
  O Clavis David
  12:10 pm: Spoken Mass
  
• Friday - December 21
  O Oriens