John-Michael Caprio had been serving as executive director of the Commission on Church Music for the Archdiocese of New York when John Grady, music director at St. Patrick’s, died suddenly in the autumn of 1990. The Cathedral found itself with no one to lead the music for Grady’s funeral, and almost as an afterthought Caprio was asked to take over. But it quickly became obvious that St. Patrick’s had far more than a fill-in; their “temporary” conductor showed a clear vision of sacred music’s potential. Better still, he had the authority, talent and energy to implement that vision. Within months he was named music director for the Cathedral, a position that he held until his tragic death at age 50 on Christmas Day of 1997.
Not since the days of the legendary Pietro Yon had St. Patrick’s enjoyed such a variety of musical events, offered not only in the Cathedral but on recordings and in broadcasts worldwide. With Caprio as the driving force, a single loosely-organized choir evolved into four distinct, well-polished vocal units, each one used for a specific musical purpose. But whether music was provided by the sixteen-voice Cathedral Schola (for vespers, which were regularly scheduled for the first time in decades) or the seventy-voice Cathedral Singers (for major festivals), the musical life of St. Patrick’s was driven by liturgical correctness. Caprio gave an interview during which he shared his thoughts about the use of music in worship services: “The church should never be a salon or a concert hall for a composer to show off his skills.”
However, concerts themselves were a different matter, giving Caprio an opportunity to display his showman’s instinct. A perfect example is provided by the concert you’re hearing this evening, A City Singing at Christmas. Not only did he refine the level of its repertoire and performances; he had an eye for details. The concert had always ended with musicians and congregation joining in “Silent Night.” It was John-Michael Caprio who decided that it would be a handsome touch to turn the carol into a candlelight processional, sung against a backdrop of the Cathedral’s Fifth Avenue doors slowly opening to bring the city itself into the celebration. Concertgoers were thrilled, and the moment has been repeated at the close of the program every year thereafter.
—Salvatore Basile, Cathedral Music Historian