Westminster Williamson Voices Present "Voices of American Masters"
The Westminster Williamson Voices, conducted by James Jordan, will present a concert entitled "Voices of American Masters" on Saturday, April 1 at 8:00 p.m. in Bristol Chapel on the Westminster campus in Princeton.
A highlight will be a performance of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s The Unicorn, The Gorgon and The Manticore. This “madrigal fable” was written for chorus and small orchestra and as a score for a ballet. The multi-movement work is an allegory for both faith and the life of an artist. The unicorn represents youth, the gorgon midlife and the manticore old age. It is a sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant look at society.
The Menotti work will feature a dramatic black light performance by Philadelphia’s award winning archeDream Dance Company. ArcheDream uses archetypal characters that perform allegories, or dreams, to personify vital issues pertaining to our lives. Psychologically speaking, an archetype is a primordial mental image inherited by all. For example, personifications of Anger, Death, Love, War, and Peace all play their part in our visions of life. ArcheDream’s costumes are illuminated with ultra-violet light, which accentuates the supernatural aspect and reveals the dreamscape as the action unfolds.
The program will also include Lauridson’s Mid-Winter Songs and premieres of works by Steve Pilkington and Brian Schmidt.
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 Westminster’s founder, John Finley Williamson, who believed that choral music performed at the highest level should be accessible to all so that it might communicate the human essence that is at the heart of choral singing.
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.
A member of the conducting faculty at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, James Jordan is one of the nation’s most prolific writers on the subjects of the philosophy of music making and choral teaching.
Westminster Choir College is located at Hamilton Avenue and Walnut Lane in Princeton. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. For tickets or to receive Westminster’s 2005-2006 season catalog, call the box office at 609 921-2663. For updates, visit Westminster’s Web site at www.rider.edu/arts.
