Westminster Choir Will Present Midwinter Concert With Stefan Parkman

The Westminster Choir will present its midwinter concert on Friday, February 25 under the baton of guest conductor Stefan Parkman, the conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir.  The performance will be at 8:00 p.m. in Bristol Chapel on the campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton.  This performance was originally scheduled for Saturday, February 26.

            The centerpiece of the program is the Mass for Double Choir by Swiss composer Frank Martin.  The choir will also perform works by Scandinavian composers, including Pseudo-Yoik by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Rondo Lapponico by Gunnar Hahn, and Aftonen by Hugo Alfvén.

Swedish conductor Stefan Parkman graduated from the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm and holds a professorship in choral conducting at Uppsala University in Sweden.  He has been leader of the Uppsala Cathedral Boy's Choir, YMCA Chamber Choir in Stockholm and the Royal Philharmonic Choir in Stockholm. Since 1983 he has been conductor of Uppsala Akademiska Kammarkör. In 1989, he was appointed chief conductor of the Danish National Radio Choir, and in 2002 he became chief conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir.

As a freelance conductor, Stefan Parkman regularly conducts the Rundfunkchor and the RIAS Kammerchor in Berlin, BBC Singers in London and Nederlands Kamerkoor in Amsterdam. He appears with numerous symphony orchestras and ensembles in Scandinavia, including many Swedish symphony orchestras, choirs and institutions, such as the Norrland Opera in Luleå, the Royal Opera in Stockholm, the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Copenhagen and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.

Along with the permanent engagements as professor and conductor, Stefan Parkman is also in demand as a clinician for master classes, seminars and workshops in Sweden and abroad. As a singer he often appears as tenor soloist in Baroque oratorios and passions.  When performing J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, he successfully combines conducting with singing the part of the Evangelist.

In 1997, he was made Knight of the Dannebrog by Queen Margerethe II of Denmark, and in 1998 he was elected member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

Setting the standard for choral excellence for over 80 years, the Westminster Choir is composed of students at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, N.J.  It has been the chorus-in-residence for the Spoleto Festival USA since 1977, performing both in concert and as the opera chorus.  The Choir was also the chorus-in-residence for the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, for 23 years.

The Choir’s 2004-2005 season includes performances of choral masterworks by Brahms with its conductor laureate, Joseph Flummerfelt; Handel’s Messiah with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Alan Gilbert; and several performances at the 2005 Spoleto Festival U.S.A.

The Choir’s 2003-2004 season included performances of Handel’s Messiah with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Nicholas McGegan and three concert tours of the United States.  Recent seasons have also included tours of Korea and Taiwan, as well as a series of performances at the Colmar (France) International Music Festival.

Its newest recording, Heaven to Earth, was released internationally on the AVIE label in September 2004.  Praised by Classical Music Web for its “expert choral artistry” and by Classics Today.com as “a thought-provoking and multi-faceted exploration,” the recording originated with the ensemble’s 2002 PRI radio broadcast reflecting on the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  It includes Agnus Dei, a choral setting of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, and Arnold Schoenberg’s demanding Friede auf Erden.

Praised by critics for its “full-bodied, incisive singing” (The New York Times), the Westminster Choir also forms the core of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which has performed and recorded with the leading conductors and orchestras of our time.  The Symphonic Choir’s 2004-2005 season includes performances of Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Dresden Philharmonic, conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, and with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Neeme Järvi.  Its  season with the New York Philharmonic includes  Handel’s Messiah, conducted by Alan Gilbert, Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloë, conducted by Lorin Maazel, and Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust, conducted by Charles Dutoit.

Tickets for this performance are $15 for adults and $10 for senior citizens and students. To order, call the Westminster box office weekdays between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at 609-921-2663.  Westminster Choir College is located on the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Walnut Lane in Princeton.  For more information visit Westminster’s Website at http://www.westminster.rider.edu/.