got marriage?

Are you getting married in Southwest Florida? Do you need a musician or vocalist?



Please take advantage of the resources I have available. I have here a list of popular songs for your wedding ceremony, as well as links to sites I have found useful in researching good music selections. You can listen to mp3s of live performances of mine from past weddings as well. Click here for a list of the standard places in your ceremony in which you'll have music.

This will truly be one of the happiest and most joyful days of your life. I would be honored to share in it as your musician or vocalist. Contact me at gabriela@gabrielafrei.com if you are interested in booking me or want a quote for your wedding. I am available for travel and have experience with both Catholic and Protestant wedding ceremonies.

May God bless you always.




photo credit: http://www.1weddingsource.com/blog/wedding-planning-coping-life-after-wedding-planning/375/
 

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The Mass of Annunciation is SUBMITTED!

My Mass of Annunciation has officially been submitted for review to OCP - which I have just learned stands for Oregon Catholic Press. I am nervous and excited about it, but honestly, even if my mass setting is not approved right now for publication with OCP, it is quite an accomplishment just to have finished composing a mass setting. And I learned so much in the process, and am growing in putting myself out there. And facing potential rejection is part of that process. But I am so hopeful and excited for the possibility of seeing my name in print as a legitimate composer. Regardless, the Mass of Annunciation WILL be used. I don't need to be published in OCP for my mass setting to be used, thank goodness. It would just be a great honor to achieve publishing.

All in God's will and for His greater glory. Now begins the wait. I probably won't know for 6 months or so, which is the time allotted for the review process - interminable! But good things do come to those who wait, so I am content and at peace.

Be joyful today, and be grateful for all the beauty in your life. Know I am grateful for you too :)



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Mass of Annunciation to OCP

I am planning to submit the Mass of Annunciation to OCP on Monday or Tuesday. I'm now finding myself going and re-going over the manuscript a dozen times, every time finding something that could be different. Anybody out there that is an awesome pianist, got a few hours to spare to look over this setting???

Ah, Lord, help me to place this beautiful work in Your hands, where it rightfully belongs. For if it's Your will that it be approved for publishing, nothing can stand in the way.

I just hope it is in fact Your will! Prayers would be appreciated!





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The Mass of Annunciation is Approved.

I am delighted, honored, and blessed to announce that my original mass setting, the Mass of Annunciation, has been approved by the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee of Divine Worship for use in the liturgy. I have also received permission from ICEL, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy to use their text from the Roman Missal. These were the two hurdles I needed to cross over before I could submit my Mass of Annunciation to OCP, a large and well-known publisher of Catholic and church music. I pray the Lord continue to open doors for me as He sees fit. I will sing and write as long as He continues to inspire. Read more about the Mass of Annunciation here or see the sheet music and download it for free on my Scribd account here.

Other news: I sent a copy of my CD, let it be done to me, to EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network)! They have a wonderful show called Life On The Rock, which has featured many new faces in Catholic Christian music. I am very hopeful that the Lord will open that particular door for me, one that has been a dream of mine since I first started writing music and singing. I would simply love to be able to share what the Lord has done in my life through music, especially in my pro-life ministry and through my pro-life song, Let Me Live. Please pray that as the Lord leads, I will follow.

I am also hoping to get in touch with Father Frank Pavone from Priests for Life. He happened to meet my parents here in Florida recently, and they gave him a copy of an older CD of mine. So I'm hoping to get him the new one, which features Let Me Live. I know the Lord has a powerful mission for me and for my music, and I pray that He will continue to provide me opportunity to sing His praise and give testament to His might and His love.





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Paul Todd & Gabriela Frei in Concert

I recently had the awesome privilege of performing down in Naples, Florida with a terrific performer, Paul Todd, who is very well known in this area. It was a honor to sing with him, and such a joy to get on stage, sing fourof my original songs, and sing some beloved Broadway and classic songs as well.



I normally am limited to the piano bench when I give concerts, as I am a one-woman show. But this time, I got to get up and just sing, accompanied by Paul Todd on his seven (yes, you read that right) keyboards. He's such a fabulous performer: he has seven keyboards in a U-shape around him, and just rocks out. Every keyboard is programmed to a different instrument, so he literally has a full orchestra surrounding him. We sang Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro), one of my favorites, as well as All I Ask of You, Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus, Shout to the Lord for a little praise and worship, America the Beautiful in honor of our amazing nation, and other favorite pieces.


 The night was to benefit 3 local pro-life charity centers: the Collier Pregnancy Centers, Inc., Providence House, and Sonlight Home. We had over 600 people come (a packed house!), and raised over $16,000 for the centers! God is so faithful, and I pray that these centers will continue to be able to minister to women who find themselves pregnant with no one to turn to for help. The unborn in this world so desperately need our prayers and our work to spread the culture of life.

We are hoping to hold another concert next year, maybe make it an annual event. I will keep you all posted!

Much love and peace to you,



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Women of Faith, Women of Action Conference

***Article about the women's conference here in Fort Myers that I recently spoke at and provided the music for. This was the third annual conference, and it drew the largest crowd of women thus far. I was honored to return for a second time to minister to the women, share my original music, and speak from my heart about our beautiful Mother Mary. I was honored to share the stage with Colleen Carroll Campbell from EWTN and Brenda Sharman from Pure Fashion.

Annual Women's Conference
Opening Minds and Hearts


“Eye-opening.” “Inspiring.” “Necessary.” Those were just some of the ways attendees described the third annual Diocese of Venice Catholic Women’s Conference that drew the largest crowd to date.

The Feb. 26 conference highlighted national speakers such as Colleen Carroll Campbell, author of The New Faithful and host of her own radio and television show “Faith & Culture”; and Brenda Sharman, model and founding director of Pure Fashion, a character formation program that enhances not only a young woman's external appearance, but also emphasizes her interior beauty and a balanced self-confidence.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane welcomed the women and did the opening prayer and celebrated the closing Mass. He remained throughout the conference to speak with the women on a one-on-one basis.

“Women are not born to shop, they are born to love,” said Campbell before a packed auditorium at Bishop Verot High School. She noted how from a very early age, little girls are indoctrinated to believe that their worth comes from their appearance or appeal, but the truth of authentic femininity comes from a woman’s unique ability to bring about and nurture life – both physical and spiritual life as demonstrated by married, single, and religious women.

Campbell described it as the “Feminine Genius,” a term she borrowed from the late Pope John Paul II, who coined the term in his writings about women’s issues. In his 1995 letter to women, the late pope, who was greatly influenced by Edith Stein, called for a new Christian feminism, in which women reclaim and celebrate their unique differences, specifically the unique ability to “nurture the divine life in another soul,” Campbell said. “It’s our inclination toward radical openness to the human person that is central to womanhood. It’s our ability to focus on the concrete and the personal, to see the dignity of the person – it’s an ability that can convert humanity.”  

Unfortunately, the idea that women need to avoid getting married or having families, need to find professional careers and need to be promiscuous in order to demonstrate equality with men has failed to bring about women liberation. It is for that reason that the call for a new Christian feminism also includes rejecting models that tear down men, compete with men or advocate being the same as men. None of those models have honored the truth that women are created equal to men but still maintain their own unique differences that are equally as important as those of men.

“Authentic femininity isn’t about what we wear, how we look or what we do; it’s about what inspires our deepest passion and Who is at the center of our hearts,” Campbell said. “We are not perfect but we have the grace to bear Christ in the world. We claim our freedom by surrendering ourselves to Jesus Christ. If we do, He will sustain us as nothing else can.”

Brenda Sharman knows this truth firsthand.

She began modeling in her teen years and soon found great success in the fashion industry. She learned many things about enhancing her physical appearance, but missing was any understanding of virtue. She was exposed to what she calls the “Me-attitudes” that include advice to live by such as “blessed are the hot and sexy,” “blessed are the rich and famous,” and “blessed are those who have it and flaunt it.”

“The world doesn’t support the Gospel messages. I’ve never seen a magazine with ’10 ways to be meek and lowly.’ Look at the ads geared to your daughters,” Sharman said.

Using a multimedia presentation, Sharman demonstrated this by comparing what a 1970’s teen magazine highlighted, mainly fashion advice vs. what a teen magazine today focuses on, namely sex and how to attract and please men.  She also showed a video clip called the Photoshop Effect from diet.com investigates, in which an industry insider reveals how 99.9 percent of photos in any magazine is retouched to make the model appear flawless, thinner and ultimately portraying an unachievable, unrealistic perfection that is sold to girls as reality.

Sharman also pointed to the American Psychological Association Task Force on Sexualization of Girls’ 2010 report, which not only shows how far-reaching sexualization of girls is found in the culture, but also how the negative affects are equally far-reaching and include an increase in low-self esteem, eating disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, and violence against women.

But as Sharman came to understand in her own life after discovering Christ and converting to Catholicism, true happiness is found in following the Beatitudes, not the “me-attitudes” and real beauty is found in loving.

“Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta is one of the most beautiful women and I can guarantee that she never had Botox,” she said. “That’s the kind of beauty God wants us to cultivate.”

And it’s the message that Sharman shares with teen girls and their moms around the globe through Pure Fashion. She also encourages women to use their spending power to send a message to advertisers and retailers, and encourages Catholic women to teach the girls in their lives about the strong Catholic women saints in the Church, who continue to serve as authentic feminine models.

The conference also included talks by Father Miguel Gonzalez of the Orlando Diocese, the master of ceremonies of the event for the past three years, who spoke to the women on how to keep the light of Christ burning strong in their hearts so that they can continue to be that light to others, and from Gabriela Frei, who made a repeat appearance sharing her music talent and how the Blessed Mother is the ideal feminine role model whose “fiat has been very important to me in my ministry and my music,” she said.

Confessions were also available throughout the day, a day that empowered, informed and refreshed according to Belinda Gagner of St. Columbkille Parish in Fort Myers.

The speakers “really made you think and encouraged me to be a role model, not a bystander – to have a transformation and walk the talk,” she said. “I would recommend this conference to others.”

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My Original Mass Setting - The Mass of Annunciation

I am a Catholic Christian singer/songwriter/composer. As such, I am supremely excited about this new project I've been working on for the past couple of months.

I have been composing a new setting for the Mass. The Catholic Mass is prayed in unison throughout the world. Regardless of what language, location, time, etc, there are specific elements of the Mass that are always present in a certain order. This is the Liturgy of the Word, in which the readings from the Old and New Testaments are proclaimed, as well as the Responsorial Psalm and the Gospel. This is followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist, in which we partake of the True Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus. There can be no greater gift to us in our walk on this earth than the Eucharist. It sustains and strengthens us, gives us grace and peace. Without it, we are empty.

So I've been busily composing a light, energetic, uplifting, and joyful new mass setting. There's going to be changes coming down next year from the Vatican. Specifically, a lot of the responses that we Catholics have come to know and love are going to change, including the Gloria and the Holy Holy Holy. This is the reason as given by the USCCB: The Missale Romanum (Roman Missal), the ritual text for the celebration of the Mass, was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as the definitive text of the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council.  That Latin text, the editio typica (typical edition), was translated into various languages for use around the world; the English edition was published in the United States in 1973.  The Holy See issued a revised text, the editio typica altera, in 1975.  Pope John Paul II promulgated the third edition (editio typica tertia) of the Missale Romanum during the Jubilee Year in 2000.  Among other things, the third edition contains prayers for the celebration of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Intentions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass.  To aid the process of translation of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued Liturgiam Authenticam, in 2001, an Instruction on the vernacular translation of the Roman Liturgy which outlines the principles and rules for translation.  In 2007, the Congregation for Divine Worship issued the Ratio Translationis for the English Language, which outlined the specific rules for translation in English.

So I figured, what better time to compose a new original mass setting than when everything has got to change anyways! So here it is.

I've decided to call my mass setting the Mass of Annunciation. This resonates with me on many levels, but particularly on two. I don't know if you've heard my song Fiat or seen my new CD which is titled let it be done unto me, but the occasion of the Annunciation, when our beautiful Mother Mary accepted the mission given her by God, is very important to me spiritually. My soul trembles at the thought of the Lord's plan for each one of us. He calls each one of us to proclaim Fiat, let it be done to me. He asks us to say yes to His will, often sight unseen. He calls for our sweet surrender to His plan for our lives, for each moment.

Secondly, I love the idea of the Mass as a whole proclaiming, or announcing the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. I even structured the mass setting to hone in on this anticipatory nature. The Kyrie Eleison begins the setting in a urgent, hushed, anticipatory state. Then the Gloria bursts forth exultant - We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give You thanks for Your great glory. It is triumphant: God is to be glorified above all. Next comes the Alleluia, which echoes the exultant tomes of the Gloria, although not with the same power. The next piece is the Holy Holy Holy, which comes after the completion of the Liturgy of the Word. This piece too echoes the Gloria. It is praise and worship, glorying in the Lord of Hosts, whom we are soon to receive into ourselves - oh glorious gift.

Then you have 3 new choices for the Memorial Acclamation. We will soon see the end of the familiar "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." I present 3 distinct melodies for the 3 new acclamations. All are different from the Gloria, yet still retain similar elements that tie them into the whole. I particularly like the "Save us, Savior of the world." The Great Amen follows, again picking up the theme from the Gloria, exultant and rejoicing in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Finally, I close the mass setting with the Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God. With this final piece, I return to the melody we began with in the Kyrie Eleison. It is sobering, quieting, reminding one to be still and know the Lord is God. The third troph is in Latin, echoing the Kyrie Eleison, which was in Greek. We begin and end in a language beside our native tongue, joining with our spiritual fathers in praise and welcome of our God.

I hope that you are blessed by this original mass setting, as much as I was in its composition. It is offered to all parishes and music ministries openly and without any condition. Please use it. If you can, let me know what you think. I'd be honored and humbled to know I am contributing to the glory of God in your parish.

Below is a list of the parts of the Mass of Annunciation, along with links to the sheet music and demonstration videos. I ask for your patience as I finish each of these.
God bless you always, and praise Him in all things!

Kyrie Eleison
YouTube Video
Sheet Music

Gloria 
Sheet Music

Alleluia
YouTube Video
Sheet Music

Lenten Gospel Acclamation
Sheet Music

Holy, Holy, Holy
Sheet Music

Memorial Acclamation #1 - We proclaim Your Death, O Lord, and profess Your Resurrection until You come again.
Sheet Music

Memorial Acclamation #2 - When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim Your Death, O Lord, until You come again.
Sheet Music

Memorial Acclamation #3 - Save us, Savior of the world, for by Your Cross and Resurrection, You have set us free.
Sheet Music

Great Amen 
Sheet Music

Agnus Dei
Sheet Music

May the Lord shower you with joy and peace.



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