Dr. Alexis Kutarna

Born and raised in Canada, Alexis Kazimira Kutarna has been involved in church music ever since she was a child.  Dr. Kutarna completed the Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies with a concentration in Church Music at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Vienna, where she wrote her dissertation on "The Musification of the Word: The Primacy of the Logos in Liturgical Music." She earned the Master of Arts in Liturgy at The Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. Dr. Kutarna holds a Master of Music degree in conducting as well as a post-graduate Performer’s Certificate from Northern Illinois University, and a Bachelor of Music degree in bassoon and piano performance from Saint Xavier University. She has a special interest in the spirituality of liturgical music, leading workshops and retreats around the country. Dr. Kutarna has worked with musicians of all ages, having also served as a parish music and liturgy director, and as the Director of Music at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. She is the conductor of the summer chant course for the St. Basil School of Gregorian Chant. As a core instructor for the Master of Sacred Music program, she also teaches courses on the liturgy, liturgical music, and Gregorian Chant at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX. She is co-author of an award-winning book from Ascension Press, “Solemnities: Celebrating a Tapestry of Divine Beauty.”

Dr. Kutarna is a founding faculty member of Cathedral High School. She served on the curriculum committee prior to the establishment of the school, and as the founding Director of Sacred Music. She also has prior experience in educational administration having served as an Assistant Principal. Dr. Kutarna is a frequent speaker at parishes, conferences, and sacred music workshops. Most important is her vocation as wife and mother of two beautiful daughters.