Little Sparks

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This week on the Little Sparks podcast, we're excited to introduce you to flutist Cathy Herrera! In full story-telling mode, she shares her musical path, her faith journey from various Protestant churches to the Catholic church, and how having an open heart has allowed God to lead her in delightfully unexpected ways. Cathy is an absolute delight, and her wisdom and insights are sure to bless you.

Bio: Flutist Cathy Collinge Herrera enjoys an international performing and teaching career spanning four continents and several decades. Her Doctorate in Flute Performance and Certificate in World Music have led her down many unique as well as traditional orchestral and chamber music paths which she continues to pursue. While a Fulbright scholar to Peru, she was a founder of the Latin American Flute Festival scene. In recent years she has added new age improvisation, composing and interdisciplinary arts collaboration to her list of musical passions. Cathy has premiered her compositions in the U.S. and abroad as soloist at music festivals, touring with the Cornell University Men’s Glee Club, with the Herrera-Register flute and guitar duo, Camerata Amistad trio, and the TrioArts Project, a collaboration of music, dance and the spoken word. Founder of The Flutopia Initiative charitable organization, she organizes benefit concerts and musical events for those in need. A competitions winner and Golden Anniversary Award recipient for the National Flute Association, Cathy is a Rostered Artist for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Principal Flutist with Nittany Valley Symphony, Principal Piccolo with Altoona and Penns Woods Symphony Orchestras, and is the Flute Lecturer at Juniata College. Her works are published by ALRY and her book, “It’s Performance Day!” by Theodore Presser.

What we're listening to:
Cecilia: E.T. End Credits
Tara: Senza Mamma, from Suor Angelica
Cathy: Into the Woods (she just finished playing this musical!)

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As Catholics, we practice our faith. As musicians, we practice our craft. How can our practice of each aid in the practice of the other? In today's episode, we seek to explore the connection between the two, and how the art of practicing (for it truly is an art) can help us not only grow as musicians, but in holiness as well.

What we're listening to this week:
Cecilia: Photograph/Clair de Lune, Cody Fry (& Debussy)
Tara: Gabriel Faure's Tantum Ergo

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For the first time ever on the podcast, we have two guests! Meet Dan (Tara's boyfriend) and John (Cecilia's fiancé). We invited our significant others on the show today to talk about their perspective on music as non-musicians, and it was a really fascinating and beautiful conversation to have.

What we're listening to:
Cecilia: Consider the Stars, Keith and Kristyn Getty
Tara: Presentation of the Rose, from Richard Strauss's opera Der Rosenkavalier 
Dan: Star Wars Samba, Masoyoshi Takanaka
John: Pints with Aquinas: Debates, Apologetics, and Answering Atheism w/ Gavin Ortlund & Trent Horn

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On December 31, 2022, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away – and it seems that on that day, people began to really wake up to the treasure he was to the Church.

Benedict XVI had a deep and profound appreciation for beauty, and for music. He had a grand piano in the papal apartments on which he enjoyed playing, he was an avid lover of Mozart, and he gave an address to artists around the 10th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II's Letter to Artists.

In today's episode, we explore Benedict's words to artists in his address, and what he had to say about music over the years. You can read his Address to Artists here.

What we're listening to:
Tara's pick: Kingdom Come (RC Music Collective)
Cecilia's pick: Gratitude (Brandon Lake, cover by Eliza King and Hillsong)

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It might seem ironic to talk about silence in a podcast episode, but today we're discussing silence with our first guest of the season, Lauren Revay. If you've been following the Hildegard Collective for awhile now, you might recognize her name as she's written a couple of wonderful pieces on beauty for our blog.

This episode comes just in time for the beginning of the Lenten season. Lauren speaks not just about the necessity of external silence, but also of the importance of cultivating internal silence as well. As musicians, we're especially surrounded by sound all the time, but silence is necessary for growth in the spiritual life. If you're seeking to deepen your ability to cultivate silence, or just simply wanting to learn more about it, this podcast episode is a must-listen.

What we're listening to:
Lauren: Brother Isaiah's Pray, Hope, Don't Worry
Tara: A playlist of sacred choral music that she made recently
Cecilia: Lyric Pieces Book 5, op. 54: Notturno, by Edvard Grieg

Book recommendations from Lauren:
The Power of Silence, by Cardinal Robert Sarah
Only the Lover Sings, by Josef Pieper

Bio: Lauren Revay is first and foremost a philosopher with a deep love for beauty, contemplation, and the intellectual life. She studied philosophy at the Catholic University of America and then continued on to study theology at the University of Notre Dame. When not studying life’s deepest questions, Lauren can be found hiking, painting or having a cup of tea with a friend. 

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Welcome back for season 2 of the Little Sparks podcast! We start out with an episode on beauty. What is it? Can beauty be defined? Are there characteristics of beauty? We're also spending some time chatting about the Transcendentals – qualities of God.

Resources:
Beauty: What It Is and Why It Matters, by John-Mark Miravelle

What we're listening to:
Cecilia's pick: Inner Sanctum/The Nesting Grounds from Dinosaur
Tara's pick: the music from the radio theater version of Little Women
Bonus: Rossini's Cat Duet

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We're back! Well, almost. We're recording season 2 and having such a good time with it that we wanted to share a sneak preview with you of what to expect! Be sure to listen to the end to hear when Season 2 will premiere!

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While you wait for news on season 2, we've compiled a blooper episode from our interview we did with Anselm Black! We hope it gives you a good laugh & we'll see you in season 2!

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In our last episode of season 1, we chat with Emalie Huber of The Cantor Coach! We were so blessed to have Emalie Huber, aka @thecantorcoach, on the podcast for our last episode of season 1! We chatted with Emalie about how she started her ministry, the beauty that's come from it, and her new work with training seminarians how to sing. Emalie's ministry is so beautiful and needed – we encourage you to check it out!

Bio: Emalie Huber is a cradle Catholic who grew up in a small town in Northern Michigan. She is the founder of The Cantor Coach, whose mission is to provide professional vocal coaching and resources to educate, inspire and encourage church singers across the U.S. Emalie cantored her first Mass when she was ten years old and has continued to cantor and perform with church choirs ever since. Now as a seasoned vocalist with her Master's degree in Vocal Performance, Emalie has sung in multiple musical productions, operas, competitions, and concerts across the Midwest. Emalie is especially passionate about helping others discover their own voice. She currently sings and teaches voice lessons in the Greater Cincinnati Area, including working as an adjunct voice professor at the Athenaeum of Ohio: Mount St. Mary's Seminary. You can learn more about The Cantor Coach by visiting www.cantorcoach.com or following The Cantor Coach on Instagram and YouTube. 

3 fun facts about Emalie:

1. She recently became an aunt to a sweet little boy named Daniel.
2. She likes to run/hike/be outside and just ran her first full marathon this last May 2022.
3. When in the car, she loves listening to audiobooks - her favorite go-tos are personal development books and Agatha Christie novels:)

What we're listening to:
Emalie: O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Pentatonix and Planets - Infamous Stringduster
Tara: E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come
Cecilia: O Come O Come Emmanuel – Taylor Scott Davis

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In this bonus episode, Tara's sharing her top life hacks for managing and overcoming performance anxiety.   As someone who's personally suffered from this for years, Tara's run the gamut when it comes to trying out ways to manage performance anxiety. She notes that ultimately it's up to each person to figure out what works for them; but these ten tips she's passing on are what have worked best for her – and maybe they can help you, too.