July 8-14, 2024 – Kraków, Poland 🌻
A week-long sacred music conference in English
This is our leading project created for people who love liturgical music. Join us for this week-long conference in the heart of the ancient capital of Poland, beautiful Kraków. Being aware that music is a vital element of the liturgy, we desire to cultivate its traditions as well as to set new directions for its organic development.
The Spirit and the bride say: come! The Church, the bride of Christ, is awaiting his return. Moved by the Holy Spirit, with our hearts and minds and voices we cry: Come, Lord Jesus! That’s what each liturgy is really about. In every meaningful relationship, in friendship, but especially in the sacrament of marriage Christians desire to experience the power of Christ’s promise that when we are bound by his love, we get a foretaste of heaven here on earth.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let the hearer say, “Come” (Revelation 22:17)
“The Spirit and the Bride”, a title of this year’s edition, is drawn from the Book of the Revelation and will guide us in our musical and theological reflection at the 2024 Extraordinary Music Workshop. Our repertoire will be centered around themes of Holy Matrimony, the Holy Spirit, and the Church. Additionally we will hear daily talks on liturgical theology given by Fr. Innocent Smith, OP, a musician and expert on the history of liturgy. 400 singers, 7 days, Gregorian and Byzantine chant, polyphony old and new – all happening here within the Gothic walls of the Dominican priory of Kraków, Poland, led by Dominican Friars and our wonderful faculty from the United States, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine.
The dates are July 8-14, 2024 – and the Online Signup Form is now available!
Registration and Participation Rules
Our goal is safety and comfort of all the participants. We encourage you to register early to secure your spot.
Convenient Lodging
30 €Price per night, twin room in retreat house near Workshops place.
- Single room 30€ per night
- Individual bathroom, free wifi
- Electric kettle, refrigerator, TV
- A 15 minute walk away from the priory
Participation
250€ or $275 July 8-14A week of workshops with our distinguished faculty in the heart of Kraków.
- Daily Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours
- Daily theology & spirituality talks
- Evening concerts
- Pay by card (with Stripe) or PayPal
Additional offers
10 €Additional purchase offers with discount for Participants.
- Choose and get it when you arrive
- Notebook and cotton bag (10 €)
- Liturgical Music CD in English (5 €)
- Tuning fork with leather cover (15 €)
If you still have any questions regarding our program, please feel free to contact the project manager, Fr. Lukasz Misko, OP.
Before you submit your application, please read the Rules of Participation and learn what the Travel Recommendations are in Poland.
Join us quickly and easily
1. Read the description above. Please remember, all communication and workshops are in English (you can choose another group in Polish).
2. Fill the Signup Form – we need your contact details and decision if you want us to book your stay. Click on the link to confirm your email address.
3. Pay total Participation Fee in EUR/USD/GBP with any kind of card, Apple/Google Pay or PayPal account (you can also make wire transfer).
4. Now you are all set – see you in Krakow this July. If you want to come with another person, you will need to fill the form once again.
Our Faculty
Livestream
We plan to broadcast live the Holy Mass concluding this year’s Extraordinary Music Workshop and the presentation of the workshop sections on Sunday, July 14. We invite you to be present live in the Basilica of the Holy Trinity or watch the livestream.
Daily Schedule
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Monday
Sunday, July 7: 2 PM Check-in starts at the Retreat House
Monday, July 8
Breakfast
8:30 AM Lauds (Basilica)
9 AM Introduction to the workshop & Warm-up with Elena (Students’ Chapel)
9:30-11:00 AM Choir level I & II (Chapter Hall & Students’ Chapel)
11:30 AM Talk by Fr. Innocent, followed by 30 minutes of Adoration (Our Lady of the Snows)Around 12:45 Lunch break
2:00 PM City walk with a Dominican guide
3:30 PM Gregorian Chant level I & II (Chapter Hall & the Crypt)
5:00 PM Opening Mass (with the Polish group)
6:00 PM Vespers (with the Polish group)Dinner break
8:15 PM Fr. Dawid Kusz, OP, and Sancta Trinitas Ensemble Concert at the Basilica (optional)
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Tuesday
Tuesday, July 9
Breakfast
8:30 AM Lauds (Basilica)
9:00-9:30 Elena Warm-up & Vocal Technique (St. Thomas Hall)
9:30-11:00 Byzantine music with Andrii for all, part 1 (Chapter Hall)
11:00 coffee break
11:30 Choir level I & II (OFMConv)1:00 PM Lunch break
2:45 PM Fr. Innocent Talk (Students’ Chapel)
3:30 PM Gregorian Chant I & II (Chapter Hall & the Crypt)
5:30 PM Mass & Vespers (Our Lady of the Snows)Dinner break
8:15 PM Meeting with Dominican composers and music educators on the Polish Dominican movement phenomenon (Chapter Hall)
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Wednesday
Wednesday, July 10
Breakfast
8:30 AM Lauds (Basilica)
9:00 Fr. Innocent’s Talk (Students’ Chapel)
9:30-11:00 Gregorian Chant level I & II (Chapter Hall & Our Lady’s Chapel)
Coffee
11:30-1:00 PM Choir level I & II (OFMConv)Lunch break
2 PM City walk part 2
4 PM Byzantine music with Andrii, part 2 (Chapter Hall)
5 PM Mass & Vespers (with the Polish group)Dinner break
8 PM Music for Our Lady: traditional devotion at the Carmelite Church (optional)
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Thursday
Thursday, July 11
Breakfast
8:30 AM Lauds (Basilica)
9:00 AM Elena’s Warm Up & Vocal Technique (St. Thomas Hall)
9:30 AM Fr. Innocent’s Talk (Students’ Chapel)
10:00 AM Byzantine music with Andrii 3 (Chapter Hall)
11:00 AM Coffee
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Choir level I & II (OFMConv)Lunch break, free time
3:30-5:00 PM Gregorian chant (Chapter Hall & the Crypt)
5:30 PM Mass & Vespers (in English: Our Lady of the Snows)Dinner break
8:15 PM Adoration at the Basilica (optional) / rehearsal for Friday’s concert (if needed)
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Friday
Friday, July 12
Breakfast
8:30 AM Lauds (Basilica)
9:00 Elena’s Warm-Up & Vocal Technique Class (St. Thomas Hall)
9:30-11:00 Gregorian Chant I & II (Chapter Hall & Our Lady’s Chapel)
Coffee
11:30-1:30 PM Choir level I & II (OFMConv)Lunch
3 PM Talk by Fr. Innocent (Students’ Chapel)
3:30-4:45 PM Choir level I & II (Chapter Hall & the Crypt)
5 PM Mass & Vespers (with the Polish group)Dinner break
8 PM International group concert at Corpus Christi
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Saturday
Saturday, July 13: Walking Pilgrimage Day
8:30 AM Byzantine Chanted Rosary (Sisters’ Chapel)
Walking pilgrimage (12 km) to the Benedictine Abbey of Tyniec via Bielany (Camaldolese Monastery)
1 PM Lunch
2 PM Choir rehearsal for Saturday Mass (together)
3:30 PM Talk by Fr. Innocent
4 PM Mass at the Abbey Church (in English)
I Vespers of Sunday with the Benedictine Community
Return to Krakow
Free evening -
Sunday
Sunday, July 14
Breakfast
8:30 AM Lauds (Chapter Hall)
9 AM – 10:30 AM Choir level I & II (OFMConv)
Coffee break
11:00 AM – 12 noon Choir level I & II (OFMConv)
12 noon Where do we go from here? Participants’ sharing (OFMConv)Lunch break
2:30 PM Workshop group presentations + online broadcast (Basilica)
3:30 PM Closing Mass – with the Polish group (Basilica)
Check-out
Why Learn Liturgical Music With Us: a Few Testimonies
Fr. Lukasz Misko OP, DLC President, Kraków, Poland
Dr. Tim O’Malley of the University of Notre Dame (USA)
Andrea Baldazzi from Bologna, Italy
Aleksandra Runde from Liepāja, Latvia
Br. Augustinus Aerssens OP from the Netherlands
Julie Bellefeuille, a PhD student in South Bend, IN
See what our participants said about the 2022 edition:
All around a fantastic experience – even though we were very busy, it was a great way to pack a ton of learning into a short amount of time. I hope to be able to return next year, but even if I can’t I will be advertising the workshop to all my musically-inclined friends.
Peter
United StatesI spontaneously signed up for this workshop after hearing about it from Dominican friends and I am so pleased I did: it was enriching, mentally, spiritually and musically. I want to say a big 'Thank You!’ to Fr. Lukasz and team for their heroic work in the preparation and execution of this week, for it surely required tremendous effort from many people. However, as we know, it’s team-work to get into Heaven and in this regard, it was a great joy to be united in prayer and song with so many other good souls – surely a foretaste of Heaven!
Aoífe-Maria
IrelandI found the workshop intense (in a good way) and fun. Well worth the time investment. I would definitely come again.
Emanuel
RomaniaI absolutely loved the week of workshops, meeting beautiful new friends, meeting Dominicans, who I have never had any opportunity to meet in Australia, and just being around like-minded Catholic individuals. I loved how the friars wished to spend time with us outside of our workshops, and I feel to have created a wonderful bond with the international group. I am SOOO grateful to have had the opportunity to come to Krakow. I feel it was a real God send! Thank you so much!!!
Grace
AustraliaBecome a Patron of Extraordinary Music
If you cannot take part in this year’s workshop, but you fell in love with the idea, we ask you to support the organization of the event. Every penny counts!
9th edition so far
See what the previous editions of Extraordinary Music Workshop looked like! We have been organizing them in Kraków since 2013.
The program offered in English is incorporated into a larger Polish-language event, attended annually by over 300 people. This creates a unique opportunity to raise your heart and voice with what may be the largest choir you have ever sung in, but more importantly it gives a sense of unity of the Church gathered to worship from so many places around the world. We hope you will join us in Krakow this summer!
Fr. Lukasz Misko, OP
project manager
Donkey the Coffee Truck
Participants of last year’s Extraordinary Music Workshops probably cannot imagine our event without the Osiołek (Donkey) – a unique multimedia coffee truck in the monastery garden, provided by YoungTree Foundation. We are very happy that it will accompany us this year and we can’t wait for our first cup of aromatic coffee!
Extraordinary Music Workshop will take place in Dominican Priory
at Stolarska 12 in Krakow, Poland
Contact us:
Dominican Liturgical Center
Stolarska 6/30, 31-043 Kraków, Poland
phone 0048 12 362 69 32 ext. 9
e-mail: [email protected]