Jeffrey Parola appointed music director for Cathedral of Christ the Light

Dr. Jeffrey Parola has been appointed music director for the Cathedral of Christ the Light, effective May 13. Parola comes to the diocese from the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Los Angeles, where he has served as director of music ministry since 2021.

His doctorate in composition is from the University of Southern California and he holds a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has composed numerous pieces, some of which were commissioned and some of which have been recognized in competitions both in the United States and in Europe.

"I am very excited to have Jeffrey Parola join our Cathedral team,” said Father Brandon E. Macadaeg, rector of the Cathedral of Christ the Light. "He will feel right at home with us. He has the requisite musical abilities appropriate for a Cathedral and he is a pastoral musician with vast experience, deeply understanding and living out the mission of moving our entire community from Christendom to apostolic mission; from maintenance to mission. I am happy that he is already living on mission and I am excited to see how that approach will enhance not only our Cathedral music department, but our entire community."

At St. Paul the Apostle, Parola led the effort to rebuild the parish’s well-respected music program following the pandemic. This included overseeing major repairs for the organ and a Hamburg Steinway piano, as well as creating and curating the Music at St. Paul’s chamber music series and being a host for local, national and international performance organizations.

Previous experience includes serving as Master of the Music at St. Thomas the Apostle in Hollywood; as a director of music at Old Mission San Juan Bautista in California and St. Mary Parish in Albany, Oregon; as a tenor for the Schola Cantorum San Francisco; and in directorship roles at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco.

Parola said he is inspired by the diversity of the Cathedral community and their common desire to worship God. “I often watch events at the Cathedral of Christ the Light on YouTube, and I am struck by the palpable love for God that people of varied backgrounds share with one another, as they come together for beautiful, reverent and awe-inspiring liturgies,” he wrote in his application.