Exploring the Intersection of Faith and Music
Listen in as hosts Kimberly Belcher ‘03 MA, ‘09 Ph.D., associate professor of theology, and Fr. Matt Cortese, Notre Dame Ph.D. student in liturgical studies, dive deep with J. J. Wright ‘14 MSM, ‘17 DMA, Grammy® Award winner and Director of the Notre Dame Folk Choir, into the personal experiences and formative influences of liturgical musicians. They covers their favorite liturgical songs, significant mentors in their faith journeys, and the integration of sacred and secular music. The hosts reflect on how music shapes their spirituality and the importance of new liturgical compositions for contemporary worship.
Experience the Episode
Presented by Department of Theology
Draw on centuries-old tradition of singing Psalms and Canticles in the Liturgy of the Hours to discover a conceptual framework for bringing your own experiences, ideas, and musical background into creative conversation with liturgy and prayer. Experience Rhythms of Faith—no musical experience required!
Listen in as hosts Kimberly Belcher ‘03 MA, ‘09 Ph.D., associate professor of theology, and Fr. Matt Cortese, Notre Dame Ph.D. student in liturgical studies, dive deep with J. J. Wright ‘14 MSM, ‘17 DMA, Grammy® Award winner and Director of the Notre Dame Folk Choir, into the personal experiences and formative influences of liturgical musicians. They covers their favorite liturgical songs, significant mentors in their faith journeys, and the integration of sacred and secular music. The hosts reflect on how music shapes their spirituality and the importance of new liturgical compositions for contemporary worship. The conversation also explores the role of prayer, the connection between creativity and divine inspiration, and the holistic nature of communal and individual prayer practices. The episode concludes with personal insights on spiritual growth and the importance of deep listening and presence in one’s spiritual life.
Meet the Faculty: Kimberly Belcher '03 MA, '09 Ph.D.
Kimberly Belcher ’03 MA, ’09 Ph.D., associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, grew up in Sarasota, Florida, and attended the University of Florida, where she earned a B.S. in Mathematics and Chemistry. It was at the university parish of St. Augustine’s that she became interested in liturgy and theology. Coming to Notre Dame for graduate work, she eventually received an M.T.S. and Ph.D. in liturgical studies. She taught at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, before returning to Notre Dame on the faculty in 2013. Professor Belcher has three children.
Meet the Speaker: Rev. Matthew D. Cortese, S.J.
Rev. Matthew D. Cortese, SJ, is a PhD student in Liturgical Studies in the department of Theology. Originally from eastern Long Island, New York, he has previously studied at the College of the Holy Cross (A.B., 2009), Yale Divinity School and the Institute of Sacred Music (M.A.R., 2012), Saint Louis University (M.A., Philosophy, 2017), and Regis College and the University of Toronto (Th.M./S.T.L., 2021). During his Jesuit formation, he taught philosophy and theology at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, and served as a deacon for the Hispanic Community at St. Ignatius Church, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He is interested in questions of liturgical reform and the ways in which liturgy intersects with, influences, and forms religious and socio-political identities, as well as the relationship between worship and justice. He hopes to focus on the development of the lectionary in the Roman Rite and related liturgical theological questions.
Fr. Matthew is the teaching assistant for the Rhythms of Faith undergraduate course, and the producer of the Rhythms of Faith series.
Meet the Faculty: J.J. Wright ‘14 MSM, ‘17 DMA
J.J. Wright‘s style cannot be easily categorized. Trained as a jazz improviser at the New School for Jazz in NYC, he’s also passionate about sacred music. Palestrina and Bach vie with Monk and Cannonball Adderley as just a few of his harmonic and melodic inspirations. While with the U.S. Naval Academy Band, Wright performed for the President—as well as several other high-profile diplomatic gigs—and with the Caribbean Jazz Project: Afro Bop Alliance, recording and performing with vibraphonist Dave Samuels. The album was nominated for a GRAMMY for ‘Best Latin Jazz Album’ and won the Latin GRAMMY in the same category. In addition to Mr. Samuels, J.J. has had the privilege of performing with Billy Hart, Ike Sturm, Nate Wood, Chris Cheek, Zach Harmon, Mark Ferber, Matt Ulery, and Delfeayo Marsalis.
In November 2016, Wright’s Advent cantata with the Notre Dame Children’s Choir, O Emmanuel, debuted at the top of the Billboard Classical Charts where it remained for eight weeks. He did his graduate studies in choral conducting at the University of Notre Dame and had a fellowship in Rome, where he researched and wrote his dissertation on the early Baroque oratorio while studying at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music and interning with the Sistine Chapel Choir.
Wright became the Director of the Notre Dame Folk Choir in 2017, and has released three albums with the choir: Catch the Spirit, which celebrates African and African American sacred music and They Tell Me of a Home: Celebrating 40 Years of the Folk Choir, and The Passion. When he’s not conducting, composing, or recording, he’s a husband and father to three beautiful children.