Westminster Presents Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms February 18
The Westminster Chapel Choir, conducted by Sun Min Lee, and the Westminster Conservatory Youth Chorale, conducted by Frank Abrahams, will present a concert at the Princeton Regional Schools Performing Arts Center at Princeton High School on Sunday, February 18 at 3 p.m.
Centerpiece of the program will be a performance by the combined choirs of Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and the world premiere of For Love by Westminster faculty member Ronald A. Hemmel. Additionally, the Westminster Chapel Choir will perform two settings of Ave Maria by Guilherme Bernstein Seixas and Anton Bruckner and Tota pulchra es Maria and Hvalite imia Ghospodne by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The Westminster Conservatory Youth Chorale will perform Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen.
Founded in 1949, the Westminster Chapel Choir takes its name from Westminster’s rich history of leadership in the field of sacred music. Composed of students in their first year of study at Westminster, the ensemble has evolved over the years, and today its repertoire includes both sacred and secular works. It has performed with such orchestras as the Trenton Symphony Orchestra, the York Symphony, and the Queens Symphony. The ensemble has been heard by millions performing at the televised annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center.
Korean-born conductor Sun Min Lee earned a Bachelor of Church Music degree from the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Korea and a Master of Music degree in choral conducting with distinction from Westminster Choir College. She is currently pursuing a doctorate at the Eastman School of Music, where she performed Schubert's Mass in A flat with the Eastman Philharmonic Orchestra and Eastman-Rochester Chorus. In the past two years, she has led concert tours along the East Coast with the Westminster Chapel Choir. She has collaborated with many renowned conductors, including Anton Armstrong, Stephen Paulus, Kathy Romey and Dale Warland. Her collaborating works include preparing the Westminster Symphonic Choir for performances of Mozart's Coronation Mass with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Lorin Maazel.
The Westminster Conservatory Youth Chorale is an honors choir for high school students. It has performed with the Greater Princeton Youth Symphony and the Westminster Community Orchestra. In August it made its second concert tour of Brazil. Westminster Conservatory is the community music school of Westminster Choir College of Rider University.
The Chorale’s conductor, Frank Abrahams, is professor of music education and chair of the music education department at Westminster Choir College. A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Abrahams holds degrees from Temple University and New England Conservatory. In addition to his work in music education and administration, he enjoys an active career as a pianist, choral conductor and in music theater. In addition to being founder and conductor of the Westminster Conservatory Youth Chorale, he is also founder of the Westminster Music Theatre Workshop, a summer program for high school actors and singers.
Tickets for this performance are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. For tickets call the Westminster box office weekdays between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 609-921-2663. The Princeton Regional Schools Performing Arts Center at Princeton High School is located on Walnut Lane at Franklin Avenue in Princeton. .
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