- Jennifer Donelson, D.M.A., assistant professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences.
Jennifer Donelson, D.M.A., assistant professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, participated in and helped organize an international conference titled “Gregorian Chant and Modern Composition for the Catholic Liturgy: Charles Tournemire’s L’Orgue Mystique as Guide.” The conference took place Feb. 1–3, with several sessions held on the NSU campus. The event was co-hosted by the college, the Church Music Association of America (CMAA), and the Church of the Epiphany in Miami.
Bringing a variety of scholars and performers from six countries to NSU, the conference sought to explore the aesthetic, liturgical, and compositional principles of L’Orgue Mystique, the implications of the work for modern compositions inspired by Gregorian chant, and the role of modern compositions and the organ in the Catholic liturgy. The meeting also marked the CMAA’s first academic symposium.
In addition to her efforts in organizing the conference and securing the university as a co-host, Donelson also presented a paper at the event, titled “Whither Musica Sacra? A Dialogue of Ideas Between Messiaen and Tournemire,” which discussed the influence of French philosopher Ernest Hello on both composers. Donelson also directed a choir that performed the Gregorian chant for a conference mass on Feb. 2. About 1,300 people attended the mass.
Donelson has studied the works and writings of French composer Olivier Messiaen in depth, and has performed Messiaen’s works in venues across the United States, France, and Mexico. She has also presented her work on Messiaen at national and international conferences, and in two recent publications—Antiphon: A Journal of Liturgical Renewal and the 2011 Supplement to the New Catholic Encyclopedia. On Apr. 5, she will present a lecture and recital on Messiaen’s compositions as part of the college’s Faculty Lecture Series.
Several undergraduate students from the college’s Division of Performing and Visual Arts also aided Donelson in preparation for the event.