The Westminster Jubilee Singers To Perform October 29
The Westminster Jubilee Singers will present its fall concert, entitled An Autumn Evening of Inspirational Music, on Sunday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Bristol Chapel on the campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton.
The program will feature the music for which this lively and popular ensemble has become known - music from the African-American experience: spirituals, hymns and gospel songs. They will be joined by guest artist Kimberly King-Harley, a Jubilee Singers alumna.
Conducted by J. Donald Dumpson, the Westminster Jubilee Singers have been praised by critics for their “pinpoint accuracy” and music making with “a fine sheen.” Highlights of their recent seasons include performing two Hannibal Lokumbe works with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra: African Portraits, conducted by André Raphael Smith, and the world premiere of God, Mississippi, and a Man Called Evers, conducted by Leslie Dunner. In addition, the ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orchestra, under the baton of Skitch Henderson, in a concert version of Porgy and Bess.
The ensemble has also appeared at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York as part of the Children’s Defense Fund’s 30th anniversary, and with the renowned Sweet Honey in the Rock at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
Conductor J. Donald Dumpson is equally at home in the classroom, in the church and on the stage. A member of Westminster’s sacred music faculty, he is also minister of music at Bright Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia and has taken the Bright Hope Celestial Choir from the church sanctuary to television and Broadway. In addition, he is president of the entertainment production company J. Donald Dumpson Productions. His talents as a master keyboardist, composer and arranger have led to collaborations with a wide array of musicians, ranging from Charles Dutoit and Bobby McFerrin to Cab Calloway and Patti LaBelle.
Mr. Dumpson has been artistic director of the Performers’ Workshop at the Community College of Philadelphia, director of the Concert Choir at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, and conductor of the Concert Choir at Cheyney University.
He has guest-conducted the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Chorus to critical acclaim, served as a member of the production team for the syndicated television special “An Evening of Stars,” assisted with the choral preparation of the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s June 2001 production of Porgy and Bess, and was co-producer for the national telecast of Black Entertainment Television’s First Annual African-American Sacred Music Festival.
Kimberly King-Harley earned a bachelor’s degree from Westminster Choir College. She is currently assistant choir director for the adult and youth choirs and a private vocal coach at the 24,000 member Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, N. Y. With these ensembles she has traveled throughout the United States and Italy, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and the Bahamas. She also performs as a solo artist. Recent performances include a Christmas concert with Christian pianist Dino and Cheryl Kartsonakis at Carnegie Hall.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. For tickets call the box office at 609 921-2663. Westminster Choir College of Rider University is located at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Walnut Lane in Princeton, N.J. For updates, visit Westminster’s Web site at www.rider.edu/arts.
