The Sacred Music of Leo Nestor

Leo Nestor (1948-2019) was a musician whose contributions to the American Roman Catholic Church stand out as virtually unsurpassed.  His compositions evince a unique way in which traditional forms and idioms of sacred music can be melding with a modern American liturgical voice.  This workshop will provide an overview of the complete sacred choral music of Leo Nestor and offer examples and suggestions of specific works for use.  The focus will be on four categories of works of interest to a wide variety of Christian denominations:  Christmas music, settings of both extant and original tunes; American hymn tune settings with and without congregation; original hymn tunes and concertatos; and choral settings of Gregorian melodies.  Examples will also be provided of Nestor’s unique service music, including responsorial psalmody and English-language plainchant.