Sacred Music Head Named Co-Runner-up in Collegiate Choral Conducting Prize
Image courtesy of The Catholic University of America.
By Anthony Curioso
Amid uncertainty in the performing arts both at CUA and across the United States, Dr. Peter Kadeli, the Associate Chair of the Music Department and Head of the Sacred Music Academic Area within CUA’s Rome School of Performing Arts, was named a co-runner-up for the 2025 Dale Warland Award at the collegiate level on October 1. The American Prize awards this annual honor to individuals recognized as outstanding choral conductors at collegiate and professional levels. Dr. Kadeli’s fellow co-runner-up for this award was Professor Anna Lenti, the Director of Choral Activities at Williams College in Massachusetts.
The American Prize describes the Dale Warland Award as “[celebrating] the artistry of one of the greatest choral conductors of his generation.” Applicants for the Dale Warland Award, as well as those competing for other awards from The American Prize that recognize outstanding achievements in various areas of music, submitted performance videos as part of their applications. These videos then received evaluations from a panel of experts in the respective musical fields relevant to each award category.
Dr. Kadeli received his co-runner-up designation for the Dale Warland Award in recognition of his work with the Chorale and NOTUS ensembles at Indiana University, where he was completing a Doctor of Music (DM) degree, as well as with the Chapel Choir at Hope College in Michigan.
Dr. Kadeli offered his thoughts on receiving a runner-up designation in the Dale Warland Award.
“I really appreciate the fact that everyone who receives recognition from The American Prize receives an update from the blog post informing them of their award,” Dr. Kadeli said. “I’m excited to have been recognized, because it is affirming to have esteemed professionals recognize you for your work.”
These days, owing to his ever-expanding role as Head of CUA’s Sacred Music program and his new position as associate chair of the entire CUA Department of Music, Dr. Kadeli has limited himself teaching-wise, conducting only the recently resurrected CUA Chamber Choir, which appeared to have gone dormant since the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and teaching a graduate-level choral conducting course for students in the Sacred Music master’s and doctorate programs.
On what inspires him to keep going, Dr. Kadeli shared, “My mentors who have guided me to this point have been my biggest inspiration. These have included Dr. Dominick DiOrio at Indiana University, Dr. Lisa Billingham at George Mason University, and Dr. Eugene Rogers, whom I worked with at the University of Michigan and who is now the Artistic Director of The Washington Chorus.”
Dr. Kadeli will conduct the CUA Chamber Choir during the University’s annual Christmas Concert for Charity, which will be held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Christmas Concert is scheduled for December 5 at 7:30 p.m., continuing the tradition of being held on the first Friday of December. Among other advanced choral works, the Chamber Choir’s concert repertoire will feature pieces by James MacMillan, a world-renowned choral composer who visited CUA in April to help launch the Welcoming Children in Worship Project as part of a grant for the School of Theology and Religious Studies.
