Praying, and Praying Again
The Saint Gregory Institute of Sacred Music.
The Saint Gregory Institute
Sacred Music as a Vocation
The Saint Gregory Institute of Sacred Music exists to form singers, organists, and musicians in the living tradition of the Church’s liturgical music — not as a professional credential, but as an act of worship.
Across the Oratory’s liturgies, the full sacred repertoire of the Roman Church resounds: Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, and the great hymn tradition — sung by students, scientists, engineers, and lifelong Catholics who have chosen to offer their voices. Solemn Vespers closes each Sunday with a simpler, more intimate sung Evening Prayer.
The Institute is anchored in the Oratory’s liturgical life. It is not a school — it is a school of prayer.
Music at The Oratory
- —Solemn Vespers every Sunday
- —Polyphony & chant at Sunday Mass
- —Gregorian Schola at weekday Mass
- —Concerts throughout the year
- —Paul Fritts Opus 52 pipe organ (2024)
- —Fellowship program for students
The Instrument
Paul Fritts Opus 52
In 2024, the Paul Fritts & Co. Organ Builders of Tacoma, Washington installed their Opus 52 in the Oratory Chapel — a mechanical-action pipe organ built in the north-European tracker tradition.
Paul Fritts organs are among the most celebrated instruments of their generation, known for their tonal brilliance, musical sensitivity, and the integrity of their craftsmanship. Opus 52 joins a short list of major pipe organs installed in Pittsburgh worship spaces in the last decade.
The organ is heard at every Solemn Vespers, at Sunday Masses, and at the Oratory’s annual concert series. It is also the primary teaching instrument for fellows of the Saint Gregory Institute.
Choral Ensembles
Three Choirs. One Voice.
The Saint Gregory Institute maintains three distinct ensembles, each serving a different dimension of the Church’s liturgical tradition.
Oratory Choir
Sunday 11 am · Heinz Chapel
A sixteen-voice ensemble of Professional Core members, St. Gregory the Great vocal fellows, and volunteer singers. It is the principal choir for the liturgy and sings the 11:00 am Sunday Mass at Heinz Chapel during the academic year.
Schola Gregoriana
Major Feasts · Ordinations · Vespers
The premier vocal ensemble of the Institute — Oratory Choir members supplemented by professionals — specializing in Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony. The Schola sings at major liturgical celebrations and significant Oratory events, including ordinations.
Cantores Neri
Fridays 4 pm · sings the 5:15 pm Mass
Named for St. Philip Neri (“St. Philip Neri's Singers”), this is the formation choir for novice and advanced singers who cannot commit to weekly rehearsal. Members learn square and modern notation and the English and Latin chant repertoire.
Music at the Liturgy
Every Mass, Its Own Music
St. Philip Neri counted music among the surest paths to God — “take away from our Saint his delight in music, and you leave his image incomplete.” The Oratory offers the full treasury of the Catholic tradition across its liturgies, each according to its character.
- Saturday & Sunday · 4:00 pm
- Simple Gregorian chant, English hymnody, and organ masterworks.
- Sunday · 9:00 am
- Simple Gregorian chant, English hymnody, sacred solo vocal music, and organ masterworks.
- Sunday · 11:00 am
- Advanced Gregorian chant and choral polyphony with the Oratory Choir, and organ masterworks. Celebrated at Heinz Chapel during the academic year.
- Sunday · 9:00 pm
- A quiet Mass, celebrated without organ.
- Feast Days · 5:15 pm
- Simple Gregorian chant and organ music, in the “Organ Mass” tradition.
- Solemnities
- A cantor leads the assembly in full congregational singing.
Solemn Vespersat 5:15 pm each Sunday is a simpler, more intimate evening office — the Church’s ancient evening prayer, sung by a smaller group than the principal Sunday Mass.
Our People
Scientists. Engineers. Sacred Musicians.
The Institute brings together a director, a professional vocal core, and student fellows — many of them doctoral candidates in science, engineering, and mathematics at Pitt and CMU — who offer their voices in the Church’s living tradition of sacred music.
Director of Sacred Music
Nicholas J. Will
Founder and Director of the Saint Gregory Institute of Sacred Music. A graduate of Duquesne University and the Peabody Conservatory, he is a past winner of the André Marchal Award, the Dorothy DeCourt Prize, and the Young Organists' Audition. His recordings as organist and conductor have been released by Navona Records and Jade Music.
Professional Vocal Core
Sarah Richards
Soprano
A Pittsburgh-based soprano whose roles include Monica in The Medium, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. She holds a master’s in Early Music Voice from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a bachelor’s from West Virginia University.
John Sereno
Tenor
A professional church musician of more than 25 years, John sings and conducts at Fox Chapel Episcopal Church and Smithfield United Church of Christ and directs music at Derry First United Methodist Church. He has performed with Pittsburgh Opera, Resonance Works, and Undercroft Opera.
Sarah Austin
Alto
A rich mezzo whose recent roles include Hansel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. She sings with Azure Family Concerts, the Pittsburgh Opera Chorus, Resonance Works, the Pittsburgh Savoyards, and SERIO. She holds an MM from Carnegie Mellon and a BA from Davidson College.
Sam Shadle
Bass
Section leader and organ fellow at the Oratory, Sam is Associate Music Director at St. Michael Parish in Greenville, PA. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Sacred Music / Vocal Performance and Software Engineering from Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Sacred Music Fellows
Rose Silver
Soprano · Carnegie Mellon University
Computer Science, Ph.D.
Rose has sung with the Marsh Chapel Choir at Boston University, St. James Cathedral in Chicago, the Yale choruses, and the Handel and Haydn Society. She is a PhD student in computer science at Carnegie Mellon.
St. Gregory the Great Vocal Fellowship
Izy Bernal
Soprano · Carnegie Mellon University
Piano Performance
From Palm Beach, Florida, Izy studies piano under Frederic Chiu at Carnegie Mellon, with minors in conducting and collaborative piano. She began piano and voice at age four and excels in both classical and jazz.
St. Gregory the Great Vocal Fellowship
Rebecca Martin
Alto · Carnegie Mellon University
Robotics, Ph.D.
A PhD student in robotics at Carnegie Mellon, originally from Arizona. She enjoys swimming and piano.
St. Gregory the Great Vocal Fellowship
Julia Tully
Alto
A second-year fellow from Southern California. She met her husband, Dan, singing in Brown University’s campus choir, sings with The Alef Beats, and recently welcomed their daughter, Gemma.
St. Gregory the Great Vocal Fellowship
Mary Jeffries
Alto
A second-year fellow who sings with Halcyon Voices and the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh and works as a health unit coordinator for UPMC.
St. Gregory the Great Vocal Fellowship
Peter Naughton
Tenor · Carnegie Mellon University
Vocal Performance
An undergraduate vocal performance major at Carnegie Mellon studying under Daniel Teadt. He was named outstanding vocal soloist at the 2023 Walt Disney World festival and cantors at St. Elizabeth parish in Chester Springs, PA.
St. Gregory the Great Vocal Fellowship
Daniel Tully
Bass
A FOCUS missionary at the University of Pittsburgh who led student choirs at Brown University, where he met his wife, Julia.
St. Gregory the Great Vocal Fellowship
Brent Gaspich
Bass · Duquesne University
Biochemistry
A first-year undergraduate studying biochemistry at Duquesne. He has sung in numerous choirs and is active at the Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick in Harrisburg.
St. Gregory the Great Vocal Fellowship
Tomás Cabrera
Conducting · Carnegie Mellon University
Physics, Ph.D.
A physics doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon, Tomás joined the choir in 2021 and has held the conducting fellowship since 2023. He enjoys storytelling and exploring visual art.
Tomás Luis de Victoria Choral Conducting Fellowship
Andrew Dierkes
Organ · University of Pittsburgh
Nursing, Ph.D., RN
A faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing who grew up near Philadelphia and trained in piano, violin, and organ.
Fr. Edward Caswall, C.O. Organ Fellowship
Eleven fellowships are awarded each year — eight vocal, two organ, and one choral conducting. Inquiries: oratorymusic@gmail.com
Support Sacred Music
The Saint Gregory Institute depends on the generosity of those who believe that beauty at prayer forms souls. A gift to sacred music at the Oratory supports fellowships, choral formation, and instrument care.