St. Catherine is committed to preserving the historical traditions of the Catholic Church’s musical heritage. The center piece of the musical life of the parish is the 12:00 pm High Mass on Sunday, at which the St. Catherine of Siena Choir sings the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, together with the Gregorian Chant propers, as well as anthems and motets drawn from the vast choral heritage of the last six hundred years of choral music history.
On the third Sunday of each month, the St. Catherine of Siena Treble Choir sings at the 10:00 am Mass. The Choir sings the Ordinary in English together with anthems appropriate to the liturgical season. The Treble Choir is accompanied by strings and organ.
The other Sunday liturgies are led by a Cantor, with organ accompaniment. The music at all the masses is traditional in style, making use of the rich hymnody and psalmody of the church.
The Professional Resident Choir
The Professional Resident Choir sings at the 12:00 p.m. Mass on Sunday, as well for Feast Days. The Choir is made up eight of the finest professional singers in the Washington DC area. Membership is by audition as space in the choir becomes available.
The Treble Choir
The Treble Choir is comprised of young ladies and mothers from the parish and the home school association. The Choir sings once a month for the 10:00 am Mass. The Treble Choir aspires to the highest standards of musical performance, and members of the Choir receive a quality musical education in addition to the regular opportunities of providing musical leadership at Mass.
Siena Sacred Music Society
The St. Catherine of Siena Church Choir will be offering a benefit concert once a year. The proceeds will benefit the music program at St. Catherine’s. A compact recording of our 2009 Benefit Concert, From Glory to Glory: A Celebration of the Church’s Spring is available for a donation to the music program. For further information, contact the church office at (703) 759-4350.
About the Music Director
Kimberly Hess is Director of Music at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Great Falls, VA, and is Instructor of Music Theory at Marymount University in Arlington, VA.
She was Director of Liturgical Music at Georgetown University from 2002-2006, where she directed the chapel choir, served as chapel organist, and oversaw the music for all campus liturgies. In addition, at Georgetown, she taught organ and music courses through the Program in Performing Arts. From 1994-2001, she held a similar position at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. Under her direction, the Stonehill College Chapel Choir recorded two compact discs, Lux et Spes: Light and Hope (Music for the Liturgical Year) and Gaudete (Music for Advent and Christmas).
She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Organ Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Music degree in Sacred Music from the University of Notre Dame and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance from the University of Illinois. Her teachers have included Carol Teti, Craig Cramer, and Michael Farris.
In 1994, Dr. Hess won first prize in both the Arthur Poister National Organ Competition in New York and the Gruenstein Memorial Organ Contest for Women, a national competition sponsored by the Chicago Club of Women Organists.
She has performed at Carnegie Hall and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, the Church of the Ascension in Chicago, St. John’s Cathedral in Milwaukee, the University of Syracuse, City Hall in Portland, Maine, King’s Chapel in Boston, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Washington National Cathedral, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Methuen Hall in Methuen, MA. She was chosen to represent the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists in a performance at Trinity Church on Copley Square as part of First Night Festivities to usher in the new millennium with 2000 people in attendance. Her concert at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA was broadcast live on radio and several recordings of her performances have been broadcast on Boston’s Classical Radio Station, WCRB-FM. She has been a featured recitalist for National Conventions of the Organ Historical Society in 1992 (Maine), 1994 (Connecticut), 2000 (Boston) and 2005 (Southeastern, Massachusetts); and her playing can be heard in the OHS Historical Organs series of recordings from those events.
Assistant Director of Music
Jerry Kavinski joined St. Catherine of Siena Church as the Assistant Director of Music in September 2009. Previously, Mr. Kavinski served for six years as a choir member and cantor at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and three years in the St. John’s Choir, Lafayette Square. In addition to his contributions as a vocalist, he had the opportunity to conduct both ensembles on repertoire ranging from plainchant to Renaissance motets. An accomplished lyric tenor, Mr. Kavinski is a featured soloist in the Washington, DC area and beyond, with engagements including BWV 161 & 163 (Washington Bach Consort), the Peasant Leader in Eugene Onegin (NSO, Leonard Slatkin), Messiah (J. Reilly Lewis; Douglas A. Beck), Elijah (Friday Morning Music Club Chorale), The Seasons, Mass in G (Maryland Choral Society), and Dixit Dominus (National Shrine). Mr. Kavinski has performed in NSO Pops concerts under Marvin Hamlisch and Erich Kunzel, and he sings professionally with the Washington Bach Consort, National Gallery of Art Vocal Arts Ensemble, Opera Lafayette, Brethren, Potomac River Chorale, and Woodley Ensemble. His performances have taken him to local venues including the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, and Wolf Trap as well as regional and international venues ranging from Lincoln Center (New York) to the Basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. Peter (Rome). Over the past few years, Mr. Kavinski has performed at Knights of Columbus events including the 125th anniversary celebration in New Haven, CT and International Conventions in Quebec City, Canada, and Phoenix, AZ. Career highlights include singing for Papal Vespers with Pope Benedict XVI, the State Funeral of Gerald Ford, and the Inaugural Prayer Service for Barack Obama. Mr. Kavinski is a graduate of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at Catholic University where he studied conducting with Dr. Robert Garofalo and Dr. Leo Nestor. He can be heard on numerous recordings released by the National Shrine as both a choir member and featured soloist.
Please enjoy a selection of our music program below:
01_Jubilate_Deo,_omnis_terra_(Lassus)
02_O_Come,_Let_Us_Sing_unto_the_Lord_(Piccolo)
05_Let_Us_Break_Bread_Together_(arr._Nestor)
06_Tristis_est_anima_mea_(Kuhnau)
07_Eli,_Eli,_lama_sabachthani_(Deak-Bardos)
