Our Mission
We provide musicians with the community and resources needed to integrate their Catholic Faith with their profession.
Our mission finds its foundation in our core values and is realized through the lens of our four pillars.
Our Core Values
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We believe the Catholic Church is the Church instituted by Jesus Christ, and we are faithful to all the teachings of the Magisterium, handed down to us by Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
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Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that “Beauty will save the world.” We believe that Christ, as True Beauty, has and continues to save the world, and that He desires to bring the world to Himself through encounters with authentic beauty.
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To us, music is not a lifestyle choice, it’s not just a career, and it’s not merely a hobby- it is a vocation through which we can serve God. Recognizing this distinction, we nourish and support musicians in their co-creation with God the Father.
Our Four Pillars
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We’re made in the Image and Likeness of a triune God, and community is essential to who we are. One of the chief complaints among musicians is a sense of loneliness in the profession, and even more so when the very industry that you love can be a hostile place for values grounded in Faith. We are committed to equipping Catholic musicians with the tools to build an authentic network of likeminded, supportive professionals, no matter where they are in the world.
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We firmly believe that’s striving for holiness is essential for achieving our fullest potential as musicians. Each of our formation resources is intended to inspire and deepen the Faith of our members, through unique opportunities for prayer and informed, spiritual content that speaks to the particular joys, challenges, and creative hearts of musicians. Each of our formation resources is carefully crafted to adhere to the teachings of the Magisterium, while allowing room for questions, important conversations, and a genuine fashioning of the human spirit.
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Our God is a loving and intentional Creator- that is how we first come to know Him in the book of Genesis. Thus, fostering a creative spirit among our members is central to our work at The Hildegard Collective. For centuries, Church investment in the arts brought about some of the most significant breakthroughs in musical history. We desire to continue the great musical tradition of the Church, by advancing new musical innovations in all genres and fields, for God’s greater glory.
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It’s not about what you know, it’s all about who you know, so they say. Collaboration is one of the most deeply meaningful gifts in our lives as musicians, and we want our community members to come together to bring their innovative ideas to life! Our networking platform is designed for you to put your gifts and ideas out there to form meaningful professional connections, and help set the whole world on fire for Christ!
How did The Hildegard Collective start?
Our founding team, Cecilia Blackwell and Tara Windibank, first met during their undergraduate studies in music at the Catholic University of America. Their friendship grew quickly, and by senior year they were roommates—often staying up late discussing their Catholic faith, their career aspirations, and the challenges they anticipated as Catholic musicians.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Cecilia returned home to State College, Pennsylvania, where she graduated from her living room couch before beginning graduate studies in flute performance at Penn State University. Tara also graduated virtually from her home in the Chicago suburbs, then soon after moved across the world to Dublin, Ireland, to pursue a master’s degree in musicology. Their late-night conversations turned into countless voice notes and WhatsApp calls, where they continued sharing the difficulties of living out their Catholic faith in environments not always welcoming to their values.
During this time, Cecilia began envisioning an online platform where Catholic musicians could connect, strengthen one another in faith, and find encouragement to live authentically as Catholics in their professional lives. She brought this idea to the GIVEN Forum in 2021. From there, The Hildegard Collective was born—receiving a start-up grant from the GIVEN Institute and earning recognition as a 2022 finalist in the prestigious OSV Innovation Challenge.
As these opportunities unfolded, Cecilia knew she couldn’t bring the vision to life alone, and Tara officially joined the team in early 2021. With much hard work and even more prayer, what began as late-night conversations has become The Hildegard Collective: a vibrant community built from their own struggles and dedicated to supporting Catholic musicians everywhere.
Who is The Hildegard Collective for?
If you’re Catholic, and you work or study in the field of music in any capacity, secular or church, classical or pop, teaching, performing, or even healing – the Hildegard Collective is your home. While we have a special heart for those who work or study in secular environments, all Catholic musicians are welcome here.
Additionally, while the Collective is specifically designed for Catholic musicians, we welcome non-Catholic musicians who desire a Christ-centered community at the heart of their profession. If you resonate with what we’re doing, you are welcome here!