Notre Dame Basilica Schola

You know that feeling when you’re totally in command of your craft? Well I don’t. At least, that’s how I felt about singing. When I labeled myself as “ Will Strassberger | Composer, Baritone” I was really leaning into the former and only mentioning the latter in case of emergencies, like getting paid to sing at a wedding. This insecurity plagued me from the time I was in the Schola Cantorum at the seminary, to the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus, the Lakewood Presbyterian Church Choir, and most singing gigs during my time in Florida. It wasn’t as intrusive as full on stage fright, but it was enough for me to enter into a cycle of comparing myself negatively to all the other singers whose company I found myself in. That is, until I auditioned for the Notre Dame Basilica Schola.

When I flew up to frigid South Bend in February 2025 to  interview for the Master of Divinity program of study at Notre Dame, I also made sure to meet with Jonathan Hehn, the director of the illustrious Basilica Schola. This ensemble is made up of about sixteen music faculty and grad students at any given time, with four voices for each SATB section; I had heard of their renown and was already a fan of their recordings by the time of my visit. Jonathan was very gracious to meet with me and he told me to reach out in the next semester once I had secured my position in the theology department. 

During my audition in the Fall, Jonathan ran me through my paces of working through standard choral repertoire, sightreading sixteenth century Spanish polyphony, and determining whether or not my range was suitable for the needs of the Schola. Once it was over and I got the part as a bass 1, I realized just how calm I was throughout the whole process. The audition was not something I could have studied for, rather it was a test of my total experiences as a choral singer. That feeling of confidence I got from being unconsciously competent was quite new and extremely refreshing. Because of it, I was able to thoroughly enjoy singing with an elevated caliber of choral excellence.

The responsibilities of the Basilica Schola ranged from singing for Solemn Vespers at the Basilica of the Sacra Heart on Sunday evenings to leading congregational worship during special Masses for the bishop or university events. Solemn Vespers were my favorite part of course. All of the lights in the basilica were turned off–in the winter it was pitch black–and the rector would process in with a candle. From that singular light, all members of the schola and congregation would light smaller candles. In this dim and spooky atmosphere, the Basilica Schola would chant the psalms and sing gorgeous choral music. 

In February of 2026, we gathered in Reyes Hall to record a studio album–a first for my singing career. We had spent much of the Fall semester preparing for this recording session, but it still took an entire day to get through all of the music. The recording engineer was something of a wizard, asking us to go back to certain measures and sing until we hit a certain mark. One take after another and we ended the day with something like 250+ recordings. Early on in my career as a composer, I made attempts at recording, but I kind of just took two or three takes for each song and hoped for the best. In this new professional world I had the privilege of witnessing masters of their craft at work. Everything from the conducting, to the singing, to the sound design and the accompaniment was impeccable. Through this experience, I raised my standards on what I expect from myself and others, especially when bringing my own compositions to life.