Sunday, Apr 8, 2012
Performing a world premiere and the first performance of two new arrangements.
by Anne Sears
The women of the Westminster Symphonic Choir and the Westminster Festival Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Amanda Quist, will present a concert entitled "Song of the Universal" on Saturday, April 14 at 8 p.m. at Princeton Presbyterian Church.
The program will feature the world premiere of Ola Gjeilo’s Song of the Universal, which was commissioned for this concert by Westminster Choir College. The ensemble will also present first performances of new arrangements of Miserere by Baldassare Galuppi and Tryptich by Tarik O’Regan.
A setting of Walt Whitman’s poem of the same title, Song of the Universal is a 10-minute work for women and orchestra. This performance will include the composer on the piano. Miserere was discovered by Christopher Eanes while he was a DMA candidate at the University of Southern California. He has created an edition of this masterwork, and the women of the Symphonic Choir will perform it for modern audiences for the first time in this concert. Tryptich, orginally scored for SATB and string orchestra, has been arranged by conductor and composer Ryan Brandau for the women of the Westminster Symphonic Choir. This will be the first performance of this particular arrangement
In her second year as a member of the Westminster Choir College faculty, Amanda Quist conducts the Westminster Chapel Choir and shares conducting responsibilities for the Westminster Symphonic Choir with Joe Miller. She is also a member of the faculty of the Westminster Chamber Choir/Choral Festival program and director of the Westminster Vocal Institute summer program for high school students. Before joining the faculty of Westminster Choir College, she was director of choral activities at San José State University. She has also held positions on the faculties of Western Michigan University, Michigan State University, the University of North Texas, and she served as associate conductor for the Denton Bach Society in Texas.
The Westminster Symphonic Choir is composed of upper-class and graduate students at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. It has performed and recorded with most of the world’s leading conductors and orchestras.
Admission for this concert is $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors. To order tickets call 609-921-2663 or online at www.rider.edu/arts. Princeton Presbyterian Church is located at 545 Meadow Road in West Windsor, N.J.
LISTEN TO A PODCAST FEATURING COMPOSER TARIK O'REGAN DISCUSSING HIS WORK WITH CONDUCTOR AMANDA QUIST.