Carmelo Erdozáin

With over 25 collections to his credit, Father Carmelo Erdozáin is one of the most prolific composers in the Hispanic world. More than 40 of his compositions are included in the first edition of OCP’s Flor y Canto.

A popular speaker, Father Erdozáin has taught classes and has given workshops on liturgical music in Spain, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. He is vicar at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Pamplona, Spain, home of the San Fermín festival and its famous run with the bulls.

He was born in Aibar, a town in the Navarre province of Spain. Music was part of his family life from the very beginning. When he was eight, Erdozáin began singing in the children’s choir at his parish and studying music and piano. When he was 11, he registered at seminary. He was ordained a priest at the age of 23.

Erdozáin holds degrees in composition and organ and is a professor at the music conservatory in Pamplona. He also studied religious music at the Pontificate Institute of Rome, where he obtained a degree in Gregorian chant and a master’s in musicology.

Currently, he splits his time between the parish, composing, and his job as director of a record production company called Ediciones Música-Liturgia-Oración (EMLO).

He writes music that combines ear-pleasing melodies with heart-changing lyrics. His texts speak of Christ’s banquet, of the manna that awaits us in heaven, of the delicious bread from the wheat fields.