The past few months have been filled with gratitude, sadness and all sorts of emotions caused by the retirement of our longtime music director, Teri Larson. Teri and I started together, and we were “partners in crime” as it were for 28 years. It has been a great blessing to be able to collaborate with Teri for such a long and fruitful time. I will truly miss working with Teri.
After a nationwide search and a thorough interview and audition process, Fr. Daniel Griffith, the search committee and I are pleased to announce the selection of Patrick Schneider as the new Director of Music at The Basilica of Saint Mary. Patrick and his wife Elizabeth will move to Minneapolis late July/early August. Patrick will begin his ministry at The Basilica on August 7.
Patrick served for the last five years as the Associate Choir Director at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, Texas. Hailing from Homer, Alaska, he holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Puget Sound, where he studied voice with Dr. Dawn Padula and choral conducting with Dr. Steven Zopfi. He holds a Master of Music in voice performance and pedagogy from the University of Houston, where he studied with Joseph Evans.
Since 2016, Patrick has sung in the Houston Chamber Choir under the direction of Robert Simpson. He was a choir member for their 2020 GRAMMY®-winning recording Duruflé: Complete Choral Works. As a soloist, he has given multiple performances of Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Five Mystical Songs, both by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Patrick also enjoys composing music for liturgical use and arranging music across a multitude of genres.
“When I met Patrick for his audition and interviews, I found him to be bright, talented, and enthusiastic about the possibility of serving the Basilica community in this important ministry of helping lift our hearts to worship God,” shares Fr. Griffith. “Patrick’s career at The Basilica will begin much as Teri Larson’s did 28 years ago – full of talent, enthusiasm, and promise.”
Patrick enthuses, “I am beyond thrilled to be joining the vibrant music ministry at The Basilica of Saint Mary. In visiting with the liturgical staff and musicians at The Basilica, I found a group of people that were warm, inviting, and deeply passionate about the role of music in Catholic worship. I cannot wait to see what this new chapter brings, both in my own life and in this wonderful community of God’s faithful.”
I am very grateful that we have found such a wonderful new Director of Music for our Parish. I look forward to working with Patrick and all our musicians, both professional and volunteer, in continuing the great liturgy and music tradition we have at The Basilica of Saint Mary.
Johan van Parys,
Managing Director of Ministries
Director of Liturgy and Sacred Arts
The Basilica of Saint Mary