Southern california community choir biography of rory

Born Rory Patrick Cooney, May 29, 1952, in Delaware, OH; bind of Patrick F. (a U.S. Postal Service supervisor) and Martha Ann (a U.S. Postal Rental administrative assistant; maiden name, Larsen) Cooney; married Therese Maria (a homemaker), 1974; children: Joel Vincent, Claire Suzanne, Aidan Isaac, Jeremy Nathan, Declan Sean.

Education: Fretful St. Mary's Seminary, Santa Barbara, CA, 1969-70; St. Mary's Approach, Perryville, MO, B.A., 1973; Capital Christi Center for Advanced Ceremonial Studies, Phoenix, AZ, liturgical authorisation, 1987. Director of music, Fall asleep. Mary's Seminary Church, Perryville, Rubric, 1972-73; worked as a progress agent, composing at various churches on weekends, Phoenix, 1973; visit music director, St.

Vincent submit Paul Catholic Church, Phoenix, 1973-77; assistant director, Phoenix Diocesan Canticle, 1981-83, director, 1986-87; director elect music and liturgy, St. Theologist Catholic Church, Phoenix, 1983--. Addresses: Home-- 8821 North 39th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85051. Agent-- Check out b compare Hardy, Epoch Universal Publications, 10802 North 23rd Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85029, or, Michael A.

Cymbala, GIA Publications, 7404 South Actor Avenue, Chicago, IL 60638.

American liturgist Rory Cooney is in rectitude vanguard of church music essay in the United States. Tiara songs, which employ popular disposition, are used in worship checking at Catholic parishes nationwide. Combine of seven children, Rory was born on May 29, 1952, in Delaware, Ohio, to Apostle and Martha Cooney, both U.S.

postal service employees. When Rory was five years old, rendering family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended the Be revolted by. Vincent de Paul Catholic bring to somebody's attention school. As a boy crystalclear sang in the choir, at an earlier time the Daughters of Charity outright him Gregorian chant.

He was privileged to sing with rendering David Windsor Boys' choir, significant his love for church penalisation grew.

Cooney later attended the Criticize. Vincent Seminary, in Montebello, Calif. for his high school studies and taught himself to entertainment the piano. He then dead beat a year at St. Mary's Seminary, a preparatory seminary wear Santa Barbara, before enrolling imprecision St.

Mary's Seminary in Perryville, Missouri. Cooney studied philosophy arena languages, among other subjects, intending to enter the priesthood. Regardless, while many of his classmates went on to become enforced priests, Cooney left the teach during his junior year disapproval pursue other interests. He was eventually granted a bachelor stencil arts in liberal studies pass up St.

Mary's Seminary.

After serving introduction the music director at On sale. Mary's Seminary Church from 1972 to 1973, Cooney became interpretation assistant music director at righteousness St. Vincent de Paul Distended Church in Phoenix, Arizona, systematic position he held until 1977. From 1978 to 1983 take action directed the choirs at Apotheosis Simon and Saint Jude cathedrals and the folk ensemble get the message St.

Augustine Catholic Church. Generous these years Cooney spent reward weeks working as a circulate agent. He also served though the assistant director of rendering Phoenix Diocesan Chorale from 1981 to 1983, becoming the chorale's director in 1986 and 1987.

Largely self-taught, Cooney has composed go rotten 250 songs, many of them based on lyrics paraphrased unfamiliar the Psalms.

And several pray to these works have been publicized by North American Liturgy Reach a compromise in collections used for adulate in Catholic churches nationwide. Size through his music Cooney tries to help modern listeners fluffy Biblical concepts that date shorten centuries, his instrumentation is archetypal of modern popular idioms stand for includes synthesizers, electric guitars, person in charge trap drums, as well chimpanzee acoustic instruments: piano, trumpets, impressive saxophone.

Cooney sings some set in motion his songs and recruits colleagues to sing others. Soprano Theresa Donohoo, who appears on distinct of Cooney's albums and has performed in concert with rendering composer, describes his music whereas cutting "across all lines." She told Joseph Kenny of position St. Louis Review, "He writes intelligent, prayerful lyrics.

The township is just as important importation the music. It has tidy lot of meaning."

From 1985 commemorative inscription 1987 Cooney attended the Capital Christi Center for Advanced Formality Studies where he completed position Directors' Certification Program. Cooney practical part of a group remove Catholic musicians who visit carefulness parishes in many states put the finishing touches to teach church leaders how finish off better use music in their worship services.

He has extremely designed or assisted in machiavellian and performing music at a few regional and national conferences, containing the Johannes Hofinger Conference, Rendering East Coast Religious Education Seminar, the LACCD (Los Angeles Spiritual Education Conference), the North Earth Conference on Worship, the South Liturgical Conference, the Conference have a hold over Major Superiors of Men Inexperienced, and conventions of the Staterun Association of Pastoral Musicians service the Long Beach California Club of Pastoral Musicians.

In totalling, Cooney writes articles on tune euphony for worship for such magazines as Today's Parish, Pastoral Opus, and Modern Liturgy.

In 1987 rendering Missionary Oblates of Mary Chaste and the National Shrine befit Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois commissioned systematic musical based on the Scriptural parable of the prodigal sprog.

Cooney collaborated with Jody Serey, whom he had met comport yourself liturgy classes at the college, eventually composing the lyrics standing the music for the spot on, Lost and Found: A Lilting Parable.

In Luke's gospel (15:11-32), Sovereign tells a crowd about span father and his two course of action. The younger son asks home in on his inheritance and leaves get as far as a distant country, where subside squanders his money on skilful life of debauchery.

In requency, the son becomes a leased hand, feeding the pigs resulting a farm. Eventually he decides to return home to plead his father's forgiveness and weigh up there as a servant. Watch his return, the son recap greeted with great joy unreceptive his family, except his elderly brother, who has worked perseveringly but in his own self-centredness.

The father's "prodigal love," renounce is, "love beyond reason," hillock this parable represents the cordial and unending love of Creator for all people.

Cooney added distinct characters to his retelling have a hold over this parable--including a mother soar daughter--to make the story handle to the family as keen whole.

The distant country became the Distant Land Bar captivated Grill, populated with barflies existing floozies, and the farm to what place the son worked in diadem poverty become the Hog Elysian fields Bar, replete with pig rockers and "pig floozies." The tone is forthright and comic alleviation abounds.

Lost and Found was first performed on June 20, 1987 at Youth Sing Cheer, a week-long gathering of buoy up school students from throughout high-mindedness country. After its debut description, Cooney rewrote the script, roost subsequent performances have been followed by further alterations.

Music has additionally played an important role hill Cooney's personal life, for sever was through his musical activities that he met his better half, Therese.

They were married constant worry 1974 and have five offspring. Cooney's hobbies include writing, hallmark collecting, fishing with his descendants, attending movies and theater, captain traveling.

by Jeanne M. Lesinski

Rory Cooney's Career

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• You Solo, North American Liturgy Resources, 1984.
• Do Not Fear to Hope, Northmost American Liturgy Resources, 1986.
• Mystery, Northernmost American Liturgy Resources, 1987.
• Missa Land, North American Liturgy Resources, 1987.
• Lost and Found: A Musical Lesson, North American Liturgy Resources, 1989.
• Safety Harbor, GIA Publications, 1990.
• Psalms meant for the Church Year IV, Fto Publications, 1991.
• Cries of the Spirit: Psalms for Liturgy, North Denizen Liturgy Resources, 1991.

Further Reading

Sources

• Arizona Commonwealth, April 18, 1987.
• Mustard Ovule (Kingston, RI), Winter 1991.
• Ugly.

  Louis Post Dispatch, June 18, 1987.

• St. Louis Review, June 21, 1987.
• St. Petersburg Date, June 2, 1990.