James Jordan, conductor
Westminster Schola Cantorum is one of three curricular choirs at Westminster Choir College. Composed of all students in their second year of study at the college, as well as other Rider University students selected by audition, this ensemble forms a vital link between the technique and artistry gained by students in their first-year experience at the college in the Westminster Chapel Choir and Westminster Symphonic Choir, which performs with many of the world’s finest orchestras and is a cornerstone of the Westminster experience. The second year of ensemble performance study focuses on refinement of ensemble skills combined with choral literature appropriate to both the musical growth and artistic understanding of the singers in the ensemble.
Westminster Choir College is the only college in the world that focuses its program around a student’s choral experiences. Unique to this experience is students singing with their class for two years to not only build their artistry but to strengthen their sense of community and what it is to sing together. This vision was the core value of the institution’s founder, John Finley Williamson.
The ensemble’s 2021-2022 season includes a series of concerts on the campus in Lawrenceville and additional off-campus performances. Recent seasons have included a collaboration with Westminster Chapel Choir, performing Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes at the War Memorial in Trenton as part of Westminster’s Transforming Space project, as well as a joint concert at Lincoln Center.