WINTER HAVEN, FL (Jan. 15, 2018) – World renowned liturgical music composer and vocalist/pianist Tony Alonso will bring his uplifting spiritual music to Winter Haven with a live concert on Friday, January 26 followed by a workshop on Saturday, January 27. Both events will be at St. Matthew Catholic Church on Overlook Drive in Winter Haven and are open to the public.
The concert and workshop featuring the talented Cuban-American musician are being co-sponsored by the Music Ministry of St. Matthew Church and Knights of Columbus Council 7091 of Cypress Gardens. Tickets, priced at $15 for each event or $25 for both, are on sale and can be purchased online at or in the narthex at St. Matthew.
“Tony Alonso’s music is lyrical and easy to sing, featuring texts that are powerful and elegant,” said Lee Rutan, director of music at St. Matthew Church. “We invite everyone, regardless of religious affiliation, to be inspired and entertained by the music of this amazing composer, singer and pianist.”
Alonso’s compositions, embracing multicultural musical expression and strong commitment to ritual, appear in hymnals used by Christian denominations worldwide. In recognition of his musical talents, Alonso was chosen in 2015 to compose the responsorial psalm for the first Mass Pope Francis celebrated in the United States.
Commonly-sung compositions by Tony Alonso that he’s likely to include on his Winter Haven concert program include “We Should Glory in the Cross,” “A House of Prayer,” “Glorify the Lord by Our Prayer,” and “Love One Another.” To learn more about Tony Alonso and to listen to these and other hymns in his repertoire in advance of the concert and workshop, visit on the web.
“Tony Alonso is a talented singer and pianist, gifted with a clear, warm voice and soothing style. It will be a rare treat to see and hear him perform. Our K of C Council is indeed proud to be co-sponsoring events in Winter Haven featuring this exceptionally talented musician,” said Grand Knight Phil Pierpont of K of C Council 7091, in inviting all music lovers, young and old alike, to attend the concert and workshop.
In addition to being a gifted composer and musician, Alonso is a frequent featured speaker at scholarly and pastoral conferences throughout Europe and North America, and has penned essays and stories published in such prestigious journals as Modern Theology, Worship and Liturgy.
Alonso, who holds a Bachelor of Music in choral conducting from Northwestern University and a Master’s in theology from Loyola Marymount University, is currently a doctorate candidate in the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University. He also teaches at the Candler School of Theology where he is Director of Catholic Studies.
The Tony Alonso concert will begin at 7:00 pm on Friday, January 26 in the main worship space at St. Matthew Church and will be followed by a reception. The workshop will be in the parish center on Saturday, January 27 starting with a light breakfast/reception at 9:30 am. “The workshop is for everyone, not just musicians,” Rutan said, noting Alonso will use this forum to “explain in-depth the inseparable relationship between music and liturgy.”
Additional information on the concert and workshop can be obtained by contacting Rutan via e-mail at or by calling 863-324-3040, ext. 15.