Ex Award Winning Rock n Rollers Turn To Writing Sacred Music

Joseph Orifici and Richard (Tony) Harris are active members of the St Benedict’s parish music ministry. Both family men with three daughters each, they started composing music for the parish of St Benedict’s in 2001.

Joseph Orifici at an early age won a scholarship to sing with St Mary’s Cathedral Choir in Perth. In 1966 he won the Hoadley’s Battle of the Bands for the state of Western Australia, with a band called “The Clique” and this was the beginning of 14 years of rock and roll. Armed with recording contracts a few original records were released with mixed success. Tony joined up with Joe in the early 1970’s, with a band called “Prohibition” and together started writing pop music releasing two singles along the way. “Champagne Tickles my Nose” proved to be a successful release but it wasn’t until 2001 after a few years of singing in the St Benedict’s parish choir that Joe and Tony began composing liturgical music, resulting in the release of the album “Singing Praises to God”.

To coincide with the new English translation of the Catholic Mass, Joe and Tony wrote a new musical setting for the Mass entitled “Mass of the Faithful”, which currently is being sung at numerous parishes in the State of Western Australia.

Recently some of the compositions were used on the soundtrack to the bestselling author and award-winning screenwriter, film director and humanities scholar Professor Jean-Pierre Isbouts’ documentary, “From Moses to Muhammad”.