Westminster Williamson Voices Will Present Music of Our Time on April 10
The Westminster Williamson Voices, conducted by James Jordan, will perform contemporary choral classics on Sunday, April 10 at
Entitled Music of Our Time, the program will include the world premiere of She Moved Through the Faire by Roger Ames as well as two evocative works by Jackson Hill – When Spring is Born at Last and Sleep. The Choir will also perform Past Life Melodies by Australian composer Sarah Hopkins, which is base on Australian Aboriginal music, Moses Hogan’s arrangement of Wade in the Water, and Bogoroditse Dyevo by Arvo Pärt.
Composed of students at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, the Westminster Williamson Voices is a select ensemble of 35 singers whose mission combines choral performance with educational outreach, artistic collaborations and partnering with other art forms. Emphasizing world music and the music of our time, it is named for
The repertoire and performances of the ensemble cover a broad spectrum, with special emphasis upon music commissioned for the choir. Artistic collaborations with other art forms-- dance, theater, and the visual arts--are at the core of the performances of this ensemble. The Westminster Williamson Voices serves as a living choral laboratory. Its primary musical mission is to explore new methods of teaching and rehearsing and to be at the forefront of choral education pedagogy. The teaching and learning of literature for performance utilize contemporary ensemble methods involving groundbreaking Aural Immersion Solfege™ and movement pedagogy emphasizing both the philosophies of Dalcroze and Laban...
James Jordan is recognized as one of the nation’s pre-eminent conductors, writers and innovators in choral music. He has been called a “visionary” by The Choral Journal. His career and publications have been devoted to innovative educational changes in the choral art. A master teacher, Dr. Jordan’s pioneering writing and research concerning the use of Laban Movement Analysis for the teaching of conducting and movement to children has dramatically changed teaching in both of these disciplines.
One of the country’s most prolific writers on the subjects of the philosophy of music making and choral teaching, he has produced 10 major textbooks and several choral series bearing his name as well as contributing to four other textbooks. In 2004, four new books authored by him will be published: The Use of the Swiss Ball for the Teaching of Conducting, Eartraining Aural Immersion Exercises for Choirs, The Choral Ensemble Warm-Up and The Musician’s Walk. His books on the subject of vocal technique for choirs are considered an essential for the education of conductors around the world. His choral conducting book, Evoking Sound, was named as a “must read” on a list of six books by The Choral Journal. His newest book, Ear Training Immersion Exercises for Choirs details the first comprehensive approach toward aural literacy for choirs using solfege and a unique system of score analysis that focuses upon what is aurally perceived by the choir. His books, The Musician’s Soul and The Musician’s Spirit, acclaimed by both instrumental and choral conductors alike, have been credited with beginning a transformation on how music is taught both in ensembles and the classroom through a process of humanizing and loving.
Dr.
