Thursday, Mar 17, 2011
Performing works by Weelkes, Praulins and one movement from Drei Quartette, Brahms and Whitbourn.
by Anne Sears
The Westminster Williamson Voices, conducted by James Jordan, will present a concert entitled “On Wings of Faith” Saturday, March 26 at 8 p.m. in Bristol Chapel on the campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton. They will be joined by soprano saxophonist Jeremy Powell.
The program will include Hosanna to the Son of David by Thomas Weelkes, two movements from Missa Regensis by Ugis Praulins and one movement from Drei Quartette, Op. 64 by Johannes Brahms. The concert will also focus on works by British composer James Whitbourn: the Introit from Requiem Canticorum, Son of God Mass, Prayer for South Africa and Wings of Faith.
James Whitbourn is a versatile composer with an international reputation for choral music and music for film, television and concert hall. After studying music at Oxford University, he began his career as a BBC producer, winning many awards including a Royal Television Society Award and a Sony Gold. His compositional output has been influenced by his background in speaking to millions and is noted for its direct connection with audiences and with performers.
Since its founding in 2003 by conductor James Jordan, the Westminster Williamson Voices has quickly established itself as a voice of composers of our time, earning acclaim for its creative programming and collaborations with other art forms, creating new and innovative uses of the choral instrument. Most notable was the ensemble’s performance at The Philadelphia Cathedral of Eric Whitacre’s Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine with the renowned Spiral Q Puppet Theater and the premiere of James Whitbourn’s Luminosity with The Archedream Blacklight Theater Company.
James Jordan is a senior conductor at Westminster Choir College where, in addition to conducting the Westminster Williamson Voices and Westminster Schola Cantorum, he teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting. Dr. Jordan also conducts Anam Cara, a professional choral ensemble that has received critical acclaim for its recordings. Widely acknowledged as one of the most influential conductors in America through his 40 books, recordings and DVDs, James Jordan has brought about far-reaching pedagogical and philosophical changes not only in choral music, but also in the worlds of orchestral conducting, wind conducting, piano and music education.
Before Jeremy Powell finished high school he had received the Louis Armstrong and Woody Herman excellence in jazz awards, as well as numerous musical scholarships that helped him further his studies at the New School University in Manhattan. He has been a frequent collaborator with Westminster choirs. He was the soloist with the Westminster Symphonic Choir in James Whitbourn’s Son of God Mass performed in the Princeton University Chapel and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Ticket Information
Admission for the performance is $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 609-921-2663 or going to www.rider.edu/arts. Westminster Choir College of Rider University is located at 101 Walnut Lane in Princeton. For updates visit www.rider.edu/arts.