Michael Goldsmith, Parish Organist
Michael has been playing piano for over 35 years since beginning private lessons as a very young child. He began learning the organ and covering church liturgies in his teen years throughout the Newburgh, NY area. Throughout his college years at Sacred Heart University, Michael routinely was an organist at various churches, including providing music for Masses at the university, diocese Masses celebrated by Bishop Frank Caggiano, and while home in New York on summer break for Bishop Dominick Lagonegro. Currently, in addition to being the parish organist at St. Catherine of Siena, he sings as a member of the Diocese of Bridgeport Diocesan Choir, and has sung tenor at St. Augustine Cathedral in the Cathedral Choir quartet for the weekly Bishop’s Mass. As a musician, Michael is continually inspired by choral and sacred music from the National Shrine in Washington DC, St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, organist Samuel Metzger formerly of Choral Ridge Presbyterian Church, international organist Paul Fey, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the Crystal Cathedral choir from the days of Robert Schuller. He lives in Milford with his wife and three young children.
Kristen Gionfriddo, Principal Parish Cantor
Kristen has served as the principal cantor at St. Catherine of Siena Parish since 2020. She has been singing professionally at churches throughout Southern Connecticut since she graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2011 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance and a minor in Psychology. While at UConn, she appeared in a number of different opera studio productions, was a member of the UConn Concert Choir, and also participated in other voice department events such as songfest. She is currently taking time off from teaching to care for her two young boys full time.