Totally Catholic is Mary Zitnik’s debut solo recording. As a classical vocalist, Mary spent twelve seasons with the prestigious Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, where she performed with legendary artists such as Luciano Pavarotti and Renee Fleming. She also appeared as a soloist in the chorus as well as with contemporary artists such as David Byrne of “Talking Heads”. She participated in over 25 CD recordings, several Grammy winning, with the CSO on London Decca, Erika, Sony and Deutsche Grammophon, and with Liturgical Press as a member of the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter’s in the Loop. She also participated in the recording of the movie soundtrack to Fantasia 2000.
While Mary has always served the Church in music, it wasn’t until the call of Pope John Paul II in his 1999 Letter to Artists that she began to write original music for religious purposes. The Holy Father stated, “…it is up to you, men and women who have given your lives to art, to declare with all the wealth of your ingenuity that in Christ the world is redeemed…”. In obedience to the Holy Father, she began to write Catholic/Christian music, not knowing if, when or how she might use it. She did know, however, that through her music, she felt called to put forth traditional Catholic spirituality and doctrinal Truth in a culturally current way, rather than to write strictly liturgical or praise and worship music. Indeed, with the exception of the children’s setting of the Nicene Creed, her songs are not intended for liturgical use, but as an aid to personal faith formation.
In February of 2000, Mary and her husband Steve relocated to Ft. Myers, FL and since then she has written songs for summer Bible Camps at Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord Parish, including five songs telling the stories of the new Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. After much encouragement from the parents of camp attendees and the children themselves, she decided to record this CD.
Mary teamed up with Rob Robinson, a very talented rock music producer who has recorded top bands such as Styx and Lynyrd Skynyrd. With their varied backgrounds, together, they produced an array of song styles that appeal to children of all ages. The result is Totally Catholic, a CD that is sure to make learning the faith fun!
