Upcoming Catholic School Choir Festival to unite students in faith, music

Prince of Peace Parish will host a day-long Catholic School Choir Festival on Friday, March 28, 2025, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston. This inspiring event will bring together students from Maine Catholic schools and homeschool groups for a day of musical workshops and rehearsals culminating in a public concert. The festival is designed to offer students an immersive experience in ensemble singing and the rich traditions of liturgical music. 

Fr. Daniel Greenleaf, pastor of Prince of Peace Parish and rector of the basilica, says that the day will go well beyond showcasing talent. “It's a wonderful opportunity for students to see that, through music, we can praise God as well as come together as Catholics from different places.”

The workshops will be led by Leon Griesbach, director of music and choir for St. John the Baptist Church, Brunswick and Jennifer Runge, director of sacred music for Parish of the Holy Eucharist, Falmouth. Griesbach and Runge, will guide middle school and elementary students respectively through the intricacies of classical and liturgical music. With three schools and a homeschool group already confirmed, organizers are encouraging additional Catholic schools to join in this celebration of faith and music.

"The purpose of this event is four-fold," says Scott Vaillancourt, music director of Prince of Peace Parish. "First, to provide an opportunity for our Catholic school choir communities to worship as one voice. Second, to introduce and expose students to sacred text and music. Third, to provide principals and music directors an opportunity to meet and help expand opportunities for choirs at their own schools. And, lastly, to create beautiful music together in a space that it was meant to be heard in.

All are welcome to attend the final public concert at 4:00 p.m. at in the upper church of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 122 Ash Street in Lewiston. The event not only highlights the artistic talents of Maine’s youth but also reinforces the role of art and music in the Catholic tradition. Bishop James Ruggieri will be in attendance for the concert.