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The Amrerican choral conductor, organist and composer, Peter Latona, obtained his Bachelor of Music degree from Bucknell University; his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music; and his DMA degree from the Manhattan School of Music.
Peter Latona is the Director of Music for the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., the pre-eminent Marian shrine of the Roman Catholic Church in the USA. Recognized as a conductor, composer, organist, improviser, and teacher, he is dedicated to providing the highest standard in sacred music within the context of the Roman Catholic Liturgy.
An award-winning organist, Peter Latona has performed throughout the USA, Europe, and the Holy Land, has presented workshops on improvisation, and has released a recording, "An Organ Pilgrimage", on the Raven label, featuring all four pipe organs at the Basilica. In 2012, he performed to an audience of one thousand, having been invited as a featured artist for the Festspiele Europaische Wochen in Passau, Germany. As the conductor of the Choir of the Basilica, he released numerous recordings of sacred choral music, presented concerts in the USA and abroad, performed nationally for the American Guild of Organists, the National Pastoral Musicians Association, the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedrals, the Church Music Association of America, and internationally as a featured conductor in the Festival Internazionale di Musica e Arte Sacra. Among his recently completed recording projects is "Tu es Petrus: A Papal Tribute in Music", which commemorates the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI and celebrates the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis, as well as "Te Deum: The Sacred Music of Peter Latona", which was commissioned by the Knights of Columbus and features many of the works composed by Peter Latona for the National Shrine.
Active as a composer, Peter Latona is published by Morningstar Music Publishers, as well as Canticanova Publications and G.I.A. His music has been featured in various media productions, including Bishop Robert Barron’s well-known series Catholicism. He recently won 1st prize in a composition competition sponsored by the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians for his Priests of God/Servants of God and Go into All the World. He has received commissions from the Knights of Columbus, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, and the Diocese of Helena, as well as by the Archdioceses of Washington, New York, and Philadelphia. His music was performed during the Apostolic Visit of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the USA in 2008 and in each city visited by Pope Francis during his 2015 Apostolic Visit to the USA. In recognition of this, Peter Latona was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal by Pope Francis. He also serves on the composition faculty of The Catholic University of America’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music. |
