Musicians
Peter Latona
Peter Latona is Director of Music at the Basilica of the National Shrine. As an organ recitalist, he has performed across the USA and in Europe, has presented workshops on improvisation and released a recording, An Organ Pilgrimage (Raven), featuring all four pipe organs at the Basilica. As conductor of the Basilica’s Choir, he released six recordings of sacred choral music, presented concerts in the USA and abroad, and was featured on Public Radio International. Among more recent recording projects, John Paul II: A Celebration of Life and Faith, was recorded at Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, and combines spoken passages from the writings of the late pontiff with choral works highlighting the major themes of his pontificate. Active also as a composer, Dr Latona has several commissions to his credit and is published by Morningstar Music Publishers. These include Ego sum ostium, for chorus, orchestra and soprano solo, composed for the International Celebration of the Jubilee in Vatican City, My Hope Is Arisen, for chorus and orchestra, Fanfare-Introit and Procession on Da pacem for orchestra and chorus, composed for the National Convention of the Knights of Columbus and Missa Personent Hodie for chorus, double brass ensemble and percussion. Dr Latona was also commissioned to compose music for the visit of His Holiness Benedict XVI to Washington, D.C. and New York City in April of 2008.
Dr Latona is a graduate of Bucknell University (B. Mus.), the Yale School of Music (M. Mus.) and the Manhattan School of Music (D.M.A.), his teachers having included McNeil Robinson, Thomas Murray (organ) and Jean Langlais and Gerre Hancock (improvisation). He is a member of the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians, the American Guild of Organists and is chair of the DCAGO Foundation.
Daniel Sanez
Daniel Sañez is the Basilica’s Assistant Director of Music, a position he has held since July 2007. Before coming here, he was Assistant Director of Music at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown, Washington DC. After earning a B.A. at Boston College, where he studied organ and choral conducting with John Finney, he travelled to Leipzig as a Fulbright Fellow to continue his studies with Ullrich Böhme, organist of the Thomaskirche, the church J S Bach served as music director for twenty-seven years. Daniel earned his M.Mus. in Historical Performance at Oberlin College where he studied organ with David Boe, harpsichord with Lisa Goode Crawford and Webb Wiggins, fortepiano with David Breitman, voice with Salvatore Champagne and choral conducting with Hugh Floyd. Daniel has also participated in masterclasses with James David Christie, Lionel Rogg, Bernard Lagacé (organ), Skip Sempé (harpsichord), and Max von Egmond (voice).
Robert Grogan
Robert Grogan is Carillonneur and Organist Emeritus of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. A graduate of the University of Kansas (Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in organ performance), he continued his study at Washington National Cathedral (Fellow, College of Church Musicians) and The Catholic University of America (Doctor of Musical Arts, organ). He serves as Organ Department Advisor and teaches organ and organ literature on the faculty of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at CUA. As a member of the American Guild of Organists, he has served as dean of the District of Columbia chapter and as chair of the board of trustees of the D.C.AGO Foundation. A Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, he was recipient of the University of California (Berkeley) Medal in 1983 “for distinguished service to the carillon.”
Dr. Grogan’s recordings on the organs and carillon of the Basilica include two CDs released on the Gothic Records label (In Dulci Jubilo and Times and Seasons), featuring the Gallery organ of the Basilica. His compositions for choir, organ and carillon have been published by E. C. Schirmer, H. W. Gray/Belwin Mills and the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA), and include Gabriel’s Message for choir and organ (2001) and Variations on ‘Morning Song”(included in The Washington Organ Rook).
