Musical Road to Rome : Composing: Christopher Caliendo is the first American to have his work performed at the Contemporary Sacred Music Festival.

Music has taken Christopher Caliendo a long way in his 32 years, from the television shows “Dallas” and “Knots Landing” to the Vatican.

The Santa Monica resident followed his dream of becoming a composer, overcoming such obstacles as cancer and a serious car accident. In September, he became the first American composer to have his work performed at the Contemporary Sacred Music Festival in Rome, an annual event.

It is fitting that Caliendo’s career reached its pinnacle in Italy. The son of a Neapolitan father and Bolognese mother, the Long Island-born Caliendo says his music reflects the energy and passion of his Italian heritage. Music was always a staple in the Caliendo home, with opera and jazz being family favorites.

Caliendo’s father taught him to play the guitar. By the age of 9, he had given his first performance. In his teens, he took up the challenge of composing.

“I discovered a real passion for putting notes together,” he said.

A year after he graduated from high school, Caliendo was dealt a blow that put his musical career on hold. Diagnosed as having bone cancer, he received chemotherapy treatments for the next year.

After that, without skipping a beat, Caliendo enrolled in college to resume his musical studies. He received a full scholarship to Suffolk County Community College in New York, where he composed for the school’s ensembles, orchestra, musicals and choir. He completed his degree in music theory and composition at the University of Lowell in Massachusetts.

Shortly after graduation, Caliendo suffered another setback when he was injured in a car accident. He broke both wrists and again had to take time off from music. He spent six months in physical therapy.

After his recovery, he was accepted into UCLA’s graduate music composition program. Two years later, he was awarded the Henry Mancini Film Music Scholarship before he finished a master’s degree in music composition.

Caliendo attributes his success to the power of positive thinking and the joy music has brought to his life.

“During the hardest parts of my life, music was always there,” he said. “If it weren’t for these incidents, I wouldn’t be here. My music reflects this passion and zest for life without the words.”

As a professional composer, Caliendo has written and orchestrated theme music for films and television programs, such as “Dallas” and “Knots Landing.”

But it was on vacation a couple of years ago that he found his chance for international acclaim. While traveling to Italy, Caliendo met Italian music promoter Giorgio Gallo. Gallo helped the young composer secure a commission from the Vatican to perform in the annual Contemporary Sacred Music Festival, which takes place each fall in Rome.

Caliendo debuted his piece, “The Efficacy of Patience,” at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome in September. Caliendo said his work, on which he spent nearly 1,400 hours, was inspired by the religious poetry of St. Teresa of Avila.

“It was a chance for my music to breathe,” he said. “I couldn’t help but feel encouraged. . . . God has a value for life, love of art and it inspired me.”

Caliendo’s sacred composition will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Monica’s Church in Santa Monica. He will be accompanied by a group of Southern California musicians including UCLA professor and clarinetist Gary Gray and several Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra members. Part of the proceeds will benefit the music ministry of St. Monica’s Church.