The Westminster Chapel Choir, conducted by Andrew Megill, will present a concert in Bristol Chapel on the campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton on Friday, April 30, 2004 at 8 p.m.  Rider faculty, staff and students receive one free ticket with a valid ID.  They can be picked up at the Westminster box office weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
            The Choir will perform Randall Thompson’s The Peaceable Kingdom and works by Bruckner, Chesnokov, Holst, Schütz, Somers and others.  Also included in the repertoire will be the spiritual Ride On, King Jesus by Moses Hogan and The Lord Bless You and Keep You by Peter C. Lutkin.
            The 97- member Westminster Chapel Choir is one of seven performing choirs from Westminster.  Three major choral experiences- Westminster Symphonic Choir, Westminster Schola Cantorum and Westminster Chapel Choir- form the foundation of the undergraduate choral experience at Westminster.  For all students at Westminster, the choral experience helps to unite the various components of the Westminster curriculum: singers’ diction, music history and theory, private instruction, etc.  Consequently, choral performance is at the center of all activities at the college.
            The Westminster Chapel Choir is composed of students in their first year of study.  The Choir not only provides the foundational experience in artistic choral performance that is a hallmark of all Westminster choirs, but it also provides experiences that establish a strong connection between human experience and the role and responsibilities of being an artist in the world today.
            Founded in 1946, the Chapel Choir has performed in churches, schools, and concert halls throughout America.  Past conductors of the choir include Robert Simpson, Frauke Haasemann, and Constantina Tsolainou.  The choir has premiered works by American composers Jackson Hill, Mack Wilberg, Gail Poch, Joel Phillips and Roger Ames.  The choir can be seen on several instructional videos used throughout the world for the training of conductors and music educators: Group Vocal Technique: The Choral Ensemble Warm-Up; Ensemble Diction (Hinshaw Music); and Choral Ensemble Intonation (GIA Music).
            Andrew Megill is recognized as one of the leading choral conductors of his generation, known for his passionate artistry and unusually wide-ranging repertoire, extending from Renaissance music to newly commissioned works.  He has prepared choruses for the American Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Juilliard Opera Center, the Berkshire Opera and Mark Morris Dance Group for conductors including Spiros Argiris, Leon Botstein, Richard Bradshaw, Joseph Flummerfelt, Jane Glover, Zdenek Macal, Joel Revzen, Julius Rudel, Stephen Sloane and Craig Smith.
            At Westminster, Mr. Megill conducts both the Westminster Singers, an auditioned ensemble, and the Chapel Choir, which is made up of all first-year students.  He is also associate conductor of the Westminster Symphonic Choir.  In this capacity, he has assisted Maestro Joseph Flummerfelt in preparing the Westminster Symphonic Choir for dozens of performances and recordings of choral-orchestral works with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra, under such conductors as Claudio Abbado, Zdenek Macal, Kurt Masur, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Robert Shaw.
            Since 1989, he has served as artistic director of Fuma Sacra, recognized as one of America’s leading professional ensembles specializing in Renaissance and Baroque vocal music.  Mr. Megill has been widely recognized for his special affinity for the music of J.S. Bach, and has conducted Bach Festivals for Westminster Choir College, the Dublin Institute of Technology, Princeton High School, and the Westfield Bach Festival.
            Mr. Megill also serves as chorusmaster for the Spoleto Festival USA, where he was recently acclaimed for training “the finest opera chorus in the world” (Charleston Post and Courier), and the music director of the Masterwork Chorus and Orchestra.  He has led the Masterwork Chorus, one of New Jersey’s finest volunteer choirs, in major choral-orchestral repertory throughout New Jersey and New York, including at Avery Fisher and Carnegie Halls.
            He is also in frequent demand as a guest conductor for groups such as the Choral Arts Society in Washington D.C., Concert Chorale of New York (including work with folk singer Judy Collins); Princeton Opera, the National Christian Fine Arts Council; and the Charleston Singers’ Guild.  He served as associate conductor and chorusmaster for the Garden State Philharmonic for six years and as conductor of the West Village Chorale in Manhattan.
            Tickets for this concert are $15 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens.  To order, call Westminster’s box office at 609-921-2663 weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.  Westminster Choir College is located at the corner of Hamilton Avenueand Walnut Lane in Princeton.

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