The National Catholic Youth Choir is a liturgically-based choir open to Roman
Catholic youth entering 10th-12th grade.
The conductor of the choir
is internationally renowned choral clinician Dr. Axel Theimer. Fr. Anthony
Ruff, OSB, a monk of Saint John’s abbey, is the founding director of the
choir. The program takes place each summer on
the beautiful
wooded grounds
of
Saint John's Abbey
and
University
in central Minnesota. What is unique
about the National Catholic Youth Choir is its liturgical focus. The
singers learn about the Catholic liturgy and how the treasury of sacred
music (Gregorian chant, Palestrina, Mozart, Bruckner, Poulenc, Duruflé...)
fits in Catholic worship today. The choir also sings contemporary and
newly-written music, some of it specially commissioned for the NCYC.
