dl-cantor-joe-simmons-headshot-2.jpgA cantor formation workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at Christ the King Parish Church, 1930 Barberry Drive in Springfield.

Registration and a book sale will start at 8:30 a.m. The workshop will begin with morning prayer, followed by morning and afternoon sessions on topics such as liturgy, psalm study and preparation, voice, and spirituality. Lunch is provided.

Leading the workshop will be Joe Simmons, nationally recognized cantor clinician, author and former vocal performance faculty member at New York University. He is co-author of Cantor Basics, Revised Edition (OCP Publications) and a contributing author to Psalmist and Cantor: A Pastoral Music Resource (NPM Publications). His articles have appeared in AIM Liturgy Resources, Pastoral Music and The Liturgical Singer.

During the 2008 papal visit to the United States, Simmons was cantor for the April 20 Mass at Yankee Stadium. A video clip of him serving as psalmist is available on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-1Zwcp2JhM.

"The cantor is both a minister and an artist," said Simmons. "I look forward to helping cantors in the Springfield diocese to explore both identities by engaging their faith, expanding their liturgical knowledge and enhancing their expressive skills."

Registration is $50, but after Oct. 20 is $60 per person. To register by telephone, call Jan Griggs in the diocesan Office for Worship and the Catechumenate at (217) 698-8500, ext. 166, or e-mail her at .

"Cantors are some of the hardest working liturgical ministers and the demands on them are great," said Eliot Kapitan, director of the diocesan Office for Worship and the Catechumenate, which sponsors the event. "This day with Joe Simmons will infuse them with an enriched understanding of their role and ministry."

Kapitan said the workshop is funded in part by the Annual Catholic Services Appeal, with generous support from and cosponsorship by the Liturgical Press.