Tuesday, Apr 5, 2011
Classic and contemporary choral masterworks by Brahms, Poulenc, Vaughan Williams, Henson, Sandström and Hogan.
by Anne Sears
Westminster Choir College’s Westminster Schola Cantorum will hold its spring concert titled “Music of the Spirit Moved” on Friday, April 15 at 8 p.m. in Bristol Chapel on the campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton. The program will include classic and contemporary choral masterworks by Brahms, Poulenc, Vaughan Williams, Henson, Sandström and Hogan.
The 97-voice Westminster Schola Cantorum is composed of students in their second year of study at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. One of three curricular choirs that form the core of the Westminster experience, the ensemble prepares students for the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which performs and records with the world’s great orchestras. In addition to this concert, its 2010-2011 season has included a performance Poulenc’s Gloria, participation in the annual An Evening of Readings and Carols concert and broadcast and a concert tour of Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Conductor James Jordan is senior conductor at Westminster Choir College, where he also teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting and conducts the Westminster Williamson Voices. Additionally, Dr. Jordan is founder and conductor of Anam Cara, a professional choral ensemble that has received critical acclaim for its recordings. Recognized and praised from many quarters in the musical world as one of the nation’s pre-eminent conductors, writers and innovators in choral music, he has been described a “visionary” by The Choral Journal. His career and publications have been devoted to innovative educational changes in the choral art that have been embraced around the world. A master teacher, he is one of the country’s most prolific writers on the subjects of the philosophy of music making and choral teaching; he has authored 30 major textbooks and DVDs and is editor for several choral series. His book Evoking Sound was named a “must read” on a list of six books by The Choral Journal.
Admission to the performance is $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Rider University faculty, staff and student may receive one free ticket with Rider ID. Westminster Choir College is located at 101 Walnut Lane in Princeton, NJ. For updates or to purchase tickets, visit www.rider.edu/arts or call the box office at 609-921-2663.