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Welcome to the Winter/Spring 2016 edi-

tion of the Sacred Music Newsletter from

Westminster Choir College! As I write this,

I am sitting in Williamson Hall overlooking

the quad, and it strikes me that our cam-

pus is experiencing an invigorating time

of renewed purpose and excitement, as

we have witnessed several changes over

the past few months. This fall, our com-

munity gained a new dean of Westmin-

ster Choir College and the College of the

Arts, and a new president of Rider Univer-

sity. Our class of freshmen is filled with

talent, passion, and joy as they join the

tradition of excellence and community

tives in Sacred Music and Organ, includ-

ing curriculum redesign, more ways to

engage our alumni, and increased fund-

raising efforts. We are very excited about

his arrival, and we have already seen

wonderful things from his presence on

campus.

The Westminster Symphonic Choir, con-

ducted by Joe Miller, director of choral

activities, completed a series of perfor-

mances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

with Jacques Lacombe’s New Jersey Sym-

phony Orchestra and the Berlin Philhar-

monic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. The

New York Times review indicated that “the

Westminster Symphonic Choir shown in

the Ninth,” and a similar review of their

NJSO performance said, “the main event

was the Westminster Symphonic Choir…

the group has been accompanying major

orchestras for decades…in this perfor-

mance, it seemed the NJSO was accom-

DEAR COLLEAGUES, ALUMNI, AND FRIENDS,

here. We have welcomed two new faculty

members to our department. The Sacred

Music program had a significant boost to

its graduate applicant pool, and we ac-

cepted numerous excellent conductors,

organists, and singers. There is much to

celebrate, and we are more energized

than ever about the possi-

bilities at Westminster. We

also recognize our rich and

cherished past as we re-

member the incredible

impact of the lives of Elsie

Hillman ’48 and Helen

Kemp ’41, both of whom

passed away last summer.

Both women made im-

measurable positive differ-

ences in the lives of the

members of the Westmin-

ster Choir College commu-

nity.

Our department has

gained two new incredible

colleagues, Carolann Buff

and Daryl Robinson. Dr. Buff joins us as

assistant professor of Choral Musicology.

She is an incredible teacher and talented

performer, and will deliver our choral liter-

ature and graduate seminar courses, as

well as Bach Cantatas and other Conduct-

ing and Sacred Music offerings. We are

also thrilled to welcome Daryl Robinson,

our new assistant professor of Organ. Mr.

Robinson is an incredible teacher and

player, and will coordinate the organ area.

He is both a celebrated performer and

church musician. Please read more about

them in this newsletter.

Westminster’s new dean, Matthew

Shaftel, has helped create several initia-

A Look In at Westminster from the

Royal School of Church Music

2

Sacred Music Expands its

Outreach in Princeton and the

Church Music Community

3

Sacred Music Student Receives

FUMMWA Scholarship

4

Faculty Profiles: Daryl Robinson

and Carolann Buff

5

Where Are You Now? Updates

From Three Recent Alumni

6

Seeking the DNA of Western Music

at the Choral Institute at Oxford

7

Spring 2016 Events — Join Us! 9

Organ Department Welcomes New

Faculty and Initiatives

10

A Tribute to Helen Kemp ’41 11

IN THIS ISSUE:

CONDUCTING

ORGAN

SACRED MUSIC

Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter

Winter/Spring

2016

continued on page 2

Dr. Amanda Quist leads Westminster Kantorei in a psalm during

“Come, King of Peace”, a community worship service of morning

prayer for Advent, held in Bristol Chapel on December 10, 2015.

panying them.” Dr. Miller also led the

Westminster Choir on a tour of the east

coast in January.

James Jordan, professor of Conducting,

was recently invited to conduct the world

premiere of Paul Mealor’s first symphony,

“Passiontide”, in Scotland in honor of the

composer’s birthday. Two members of our

voice faculty, Dr. Sean McCarther and

Prof. Nova Thomas, accompanied Dr. Jor-

dan to Scotland to perform and give mas-

ter classes. Dr. Jordan also had two new

books published by GIA Publications:

Sound as Teacher and Inside the Choral

Rehearsal: Removing the Grid.

Tom Shelton was promoted to assistant

professor II and continues to do amazing

things in Sacred Music. He has continued


his work with the Westminster Neighbor-

hood Children’s Choir and the Kemp

Church Music Symposium, and has de-

signed and implemented Sacred Music

worship services with our students

throughout the semester. As national

president-elect of ACDA, he is also busy

planning the national conference to be

held in Minnesota in 2017.

Steve Pilkington, associate professor of

Sacred Music, had his arrangement of

Lord of the Dance published by Selah,

and received a commission for a setting

of The Wild Geese by Wendell Berry. Our

Sacred Music and Organ alumni continue

to succeed throughout the world. Danielle

Molan ’15 was recently appointed direc-

tor of chapel music at Bucknell University,

and Jane Meditz ’14 and Mary Copeley

’14 are successfully completing graduate

studies at Yale University.

I am excited to have accepted the posi-

tion as chair of the department of Con-

ducting, Organ and Sacred Music, and to

have received promotion to associate

professor with tenure. I look forward to

connecting with our alumni and friends,

and wish you joy and renewed energy in

your lives. Thank you for all you do for

Westminster Choir College, and please

continue to stay connected to our shared

community.

Sincerely,

Amanda Quist

Associate Professor of Conducting

Chair of Conducting, Organ, and Sacred

Music

DEAR COLLEAGUES, ALUMNI, AND FRIENDS

continued on page 3

continued from page 1

By Bert Landman ’83,

President of RSCM America

I recently had the opportunity to drive

down to Princeton from Connecticut to

spend several hours visiting and meet-

ing with Westminster faculty and staff.

While I have been on campus a number

of times since I graduated over thirty

years ago, on this visit I immediately

sensed a new kind of excitement. Cer-

tainly the new Marion Buckelew Cullen

Center with its Hillman Performance Hall

and the renovations and facelift to the

Playhouse have visually changed the

campus for the better, but I am speaking

of an almost electric atmosphere com-

ing from the students and faculty.

Shortly after my arrival, I met the new

Dean of the College, Dr. Matthew

Shaftel, and discovered one of the

sources of the energy. My hour-long

meeting with him was both exhilarating

and exhausting. He is full of energy,

abounding with ideas, and has a “let’s

get it done” approach. I discovered a

quick mind full of possibilities to move

Westminster forward and a person who

knows how to build and work with a

team. In meetings the next day with pro-

fessors Daryl Robinson, Amanda Quist,

and Tom Shelton, as well as Kevin Radt-

ke ’06 (coordinator for the Sacred Music

department and coordinator of the Roy-

al School of Church Music (RSCM) in

America) and Diane Dilamarter Caruso

’86 (an alumna and RSCM America

board member), I encountered a group

of people brimming with vision, enthusi-

asm, and a will to work collaboratively.

My purpose in being on campus was to

strategize about ways to more fully im-

plement the nine-year-

old agreement between

Westminster and

RSCM America—the

agreement that led to

us having an office on

campus and sharing

the skills of Kevin Radt-

ke. Here a bit of back-

ground may be helpful.

The RSCM, an ecumen-

ical non-profit organiza-

tion, provides music

education to singers

through a structured

choral music program

A LOOK IN AT WESTMINSTER FROM THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF CHURCH MUSIC

Bert Landman ’83, third from left, in conversation with Jay Vince-

Cruz at the 2016 Church Music Exchange, a morning of fellowship

and discussion held in Bristol Chapel on January 29. Also pictured,

from right to left, are Pauline Worusski ’14, Prof. Tom Shelton,

Brenda Arnold Day ’80, and Ned Perwo.

and summer music courses. Our re-

nowned training program, VOICE for

LIFE, provides directors with materials,

strategies, and incentives to assist them

in training their choirs to be better sing-

ers and worship leaders. In many ways,

our mission dovetails beautifully with

that of Westminster in training singers

(both children and adults) and their

choir directors.

Our recent meetings were to explore

ways to more successfully integrate the

RSCM training model into the Westmin-


ster curriculum, where appropriate, and

to find ways in which our two organiza-

tions can more effectively work together.

We certainly made progress on that

front and I hope to have some an-

nouncements to make about that soon.

However, I came away with so much

more. I came away with a renewed com-

mitment to work with these remarkable

faculty, administrators, and students to

dream about what this fine institution

can offer, and to help make those

dreams come true. I pledged myself to

work to help get the word out that West-

minster is a thriving, exciting, wonderful

place to be and one we can be proud to

encourage others to attend. I encourage

you to visit the campus, engage with the

faculty, talk with your colleagues and

fellow alumni—and let’s all work togeth-

er to keep Westminster strong and

growing!

More information about the RSCM’s

mission, training courses, publications,

and membership is available at

rscmamerica.org

A LOOK IN AT WESTMINSTER continued from page 2

By Tom Shelton

Westminster Neighborhood

Children’s Choir

The Westminster Neighborhood Chil-

dren’s Choir, sponsored by the Sacred

Music department, is now in its second

year. This free choral experience for se-

cond- to fifth-graders offers choir mem-

bers the opportunity to sing together,

play musical games, and develop music

reading skills.

In Fall 2015 Westminster Choir College

joined forces with the Princeton Family

YMCA to offer the program. The collabo-

ration was extremely successful, allow-

ing us to reach out to the community

and provide music training to young

singers at the Henry Pannell Learning

Center.

The Neighborhood Children’s Choir pre-

sented an “Informance” on November

16, 2015 in Bristol Chapel. The Inform-

ance allowed the singers to demon-

strate musical concepts they had

worked on over the semester and per-

form selected repertoire.

This choir was coordinated and conduct-

ed by Sacred Music professor Tom Shel-

ton. Prof. Shelton was assisted by Sa-

cred Music graduate student Paul

Georgeson ’17 and Sacred Music under-

graduate student Victor Abednego ’17.

Rosie Segovia, YMCA education and

outreach director, worked closely with

Prof. Shelton to make this program suc-

cessful.

We look forward to the Spring session

beginning in February!

Kemp Church Music Symposium

“With a Voice of Singing” was the theme

of the 2015 Kemp Church Music Sympo-

sium. The event was held on Saturday,

October 10 and featured guest clinician

Dr. Rollo Dilworth, professor of Choral

Music Education at Temple University.

Attendance was high and there was

great energy in the room! Dr. Dilworth’s

sessions included: Make a Joyful Noise!

Building the Choral Sound; Spirituals

and Gospel-Style Music in the Worship

Service; and Developing Tone in the

Church Youth Choir, which featured a

demonstration choir of youth from Nas-

sau Presbyterian Church (Sue Ellen

Page and Noel Werner ’90, directors)

and Princeton United Methodist Church

(Tom Shelton, director). In addition, Sa-

cred Music professor Tom Shelton led a

reading session featuring great hymn

arrangements for adult, youth, and chil-

dren’s choirs.

The annual symposium was a passion of

the late Helen Kemp ’41. Her vision was

that it would be a wonderful day for

church musicians to spend time togeth-

SACRED MUSIC EXPANDS ITS OUTREACH IN

PRINCETON AND THE CHURCH MUSIC COMMUNITY

continued on page 4


er, learn from and be inspired by great

teachers in the field, read through new

repertoire, and get fresh ideas for the

coming year. This year’s symposium was

planned by Helen Kemp, her daughter

Kathy Ridl, Tom Shelton, and Scott

Hoerl, executive director of the Westmin-

ster Conservatory and Continuing Edu-

cation.

The close of the symposium had always

been a hymn festival planned by Mrs.

Kemp. With Mrs. Kemp’s unexpected

passing on August 23, the traditional

hymn festival was planned by Tom Shel-

ton and Kathy Ridl to celebrate of the

life of Helen Kemp.

Sacred Music Lab and Ecumenical

Worship Services

Sacred Music Lab and Sacred Music

Colloquium classes meet every Tuesday

night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. During our

time together, we have weekly Evening

Prayer services planned by the graduate

students, and then cover a variety of

topics related to church music. Guest

presenters in Fall 2015 included Mark

A. Miller from Drew Theological Semi-

nary and Yale University, Dr. Jerry McCoy

from the University of North Texas, and

Westminster Organ professor Daryl Rob-

inson. In addition, the class was divided

into three groups, each of which

planned and executed an ecumenical

worship service to which the entire cam-

pus was invited. The three worship ser-

vices featured choral ensembles from

Westminster Choir College and the Sa-

cred Music Lab students providing all of

the service music:

Peace, Be Still: A Journey Toward Still-

ness Through the Gospel of Mark.

Thursday, October 8, 2015, 11:30

a.m., Bristol Chapel. Lydia Griffin,

guest seminarian, Luther Seminary,

St. Paul, Minn. Westminster Jubilee

Singers, Brandon Waddles, conductor

Compline. Tuesday, November 17,

2015, 7:30 p.m., Bristol Chapel. West-

minster Williamson Voices, Dr. James

Jordan, conductor. Pre-liturgy lecture

by Dr. Carolann Buff

Come, King of Peace: Morning Prayer

for Advent. Thursday, December 10,

2015, 11:30 a.m., Bristol Chapel. Lyd-

ia Griffin, guest seminarian, Luther

Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Westminster

Kantorei and Westminster Chapel

Choir, Dr. Amanda Quist, conductor

Three community worship services are

planned for Spring 2016—on February

23, March 3, and March 31—variously

featuring Westminster Concert Bell

Choir, harp, organ, strings, brass, and

percussion, as Sacred Music Lab ex-

plores the practical use of the instru-

ments described in Psalm 150.

SACRED MUSIC EXPANDS ITS OUTREACH

The assembly sings the hymn “Lo! He comes

with clouds descending” on December 10, with

graduate student Philip Fillion ’17 at the

organ.


Tak Kin Ho ’16 is one of three recipients

of the 2015 Fellowship of United Meth-

odists in Music and Worship Arts

(FUMMWA) scholarships. After graduat-

ing from Hong Kong Baptist University in

1995, Tak Kin worked in performing arts

management for seven years. In 2002,

instead of accepting an offer to become

a managing partner in this business, Tak

Kin left to earn a diploma of Christian

Studies at the China Graduate School of

Theology, Hong Kong. Wanting to use

her musical gifts to serve God and the

poor, she joined the music office division

of the Leisure and Cultur-

al Services Department of

Hong Kong SAR Govern-

ment as an adjunct flute

instructor. Many children

from low-income families

benefit from this program

by being able to afford an

education in a musical

instrument. Between

2009 and 2014, Tak Kin

was the director of music ministry

at North Point Methodist Church, Hong

Kong. In 2014, Tak Kin came to

the United States to study at

Westminster Choir College and

to earn a Master of Music in

Sacred Music with an emphasis

in Choral Conducting. Her hus-

band Sin Lung is now studying

for his Ph.D. in Old Testament

at Drew Theological Seminary.

They are currently members of

Princeton United Methodist

Church. In the future, Tak Kin

and Sin Lung believe they are called to

serve Hong Kong churches through mu-

sic and teaching.

SACRED MUSIC STUDENT RECEIVES FUMMWA SCHOLARSHIP

by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. Further

information, including recordings and

current engagements, can be found at

darylrobinson.com.

Carolann Buff is a scholar, teacher, and

musician, regarded for both her re-

search on late medieval motets and ex-

pertise in historical performance. Her

principal research interests include

14th- and early 15th-century musical

style, but she is equally at home in the

study of sacred music repertoires from

all eras, as well as contemporary popu-

lar music. Her dissertation, “Ciconia’s

Equal-Cantus Motets and the Creation

of Early-Fifteenth Century Style,” and her

essay, “The Italian Job: Ciconia, Du Fay,

and the Musical Aesthetics of the 15th-

Century Italian Motet,” (forthcoming in

Qui musicam in se habet: Essays in

Honor of Alejandro Enrique Planchart),

explore the motet genre in the period

between the end of the Middle Ages and

the beginning of the musical Renais-

sance. She has presented papers inter-

nationally, including at the annual meet-

ing of the American Musicological Socie-

ty, the International Congress on Medie-

val Studies, the Medieval and Renais-

sance Music Conference, and this fall

gave a paper at an international sympo-


FACULTY PROFILES: Daryl Robinson, Carolann Buff

Daryl Robinson, assistant professor of

Organ beginning in Fall 2015, has

earned critical acclaim as both a solo

and collaborative artist. Described as a

performer with “…a driving muscular po-

etry underpinned by nimble technique

and nuanced sense of style…” by Lon-

don-based Choir & Organ magazine,

Daryl was the winner of both the first

prize and audience

prize at the 2012

American Guild of Or-

ganists National Young

Artists Competition.

Daryl’s notable recital

venues include The

John F. Kennedy Cen-

ter for the Performing

Arts, Washington, D.C.;

Shanghai Oriental Art

Center, Shanghai, Chi-

na; Cathédrale Saint-

Pierre, Poitiers,

France; Spreckels Or-

gan Pavilion, San Die-

go, Calif.; and Lager-

quist Hall at Pacific Lutheran University,

Tacoma, Wash. His collaborative career

has included serving as collaborative

keyboard artist for the internationally

acclaimed Moores School Concert Cho-

rale at the University of Houston and for

Houston’s only professional choir, the

Houston Chamber Choir.

A native of Houston, Daryl holds a Mas-

ter of Music from the Shepherd School

of Music at Rice University and a Bache-

lor of Music from the Moores School of

Music at the University of Houston.

Daryl’s debut solo album, Sempre Or-

gano, was released in 2013 on the Pro

Organo record label and quickly gar-

nered rave reviews in the United States,

Canada, France, and England. Selec-

tions from the disc have been heard on

nationally syndicated radio programs,

including Pipedreams® and With Heart

and Voice. Mr. Robinson is represented

sium on Philippe de Vitry at Yale Univer-

sity.

Dr. Buff is a specialist in historical per-

formance and appears frequently with

several early music ensembles and as a

soloist with numerous period-instrument

orchestras. She is a founding member of

the internationally renowned medieval

trio Liber unUsualis,

and with the ensemble

recorded two critically

acclaimed CDs of 14th-

century polyphony: Un-

requited: Machaut and

the French Ars Nova

and Flyleaves: Music in

English Manuscripts.

With the Boston Camer-

ata, Dr. Buff has toured

around the world in the

ballet Borrowed Light, a

stunning collaboration

with the Tero Saarinen

Dance Company. She

has recorded with the

Renaissance choir Cut

Circle and can be heard on their much

admired CD, De Orto and Josquin: Music

in the Sistine Chapel around 1490, and

appears on their forthcoming recording

of Du Fay’s cantus firmus Masses. Dr.

Buff has also performed with the wom-

en’s ensemble Tapestry, and can be

heard on their CD Sapphire Night, which

received the 2005 ECHO Klassik prize in

Germany.

Dr. Buff joined the faculty of Westmin-

ster Choir College of Rider University in

2015 as assistant professor of Musicol-

ogy in the Department of Conducting,

Organ, and Sacred Music. She holds a

Ph.D. and M.A. in Musicology from

Princeton University, an M.M. in Early

Music Performance from Longy School

of Music, and a B.M. in Vocal Perfor-

mance from the University of California

at Santa Barbara.

WHERE ARE YOU NOW? Updates From Three Recent Alumni


continued on page 7

Danielle Molan ’15

M.M. Sacred Music

with a Choral Conduct-

ing concentration

Where are you now?

I am living in Philadel-

phia and making a liv-

ing as a conductor

and church musician.

Most of my time is spent working for

Commonwealth Youthchoirs, a nonprofit

organization that consists of the Key-

stone State Boychoir, Pennsylvania Girl-

choir, Find Your Instrument! Choir, and a

program for young children called Good

Mornin’ Music. On the weekends I con-

duct an auditioned college choir at

Bucknell University, which sings at their

on-campus church service each Sunday

morning. By piecing together these five

different options I am able to work with

first-grade through college-aged singers

all in the course of a week. Every day is

different, which is really exciting and

certainly keeps me on my toes.

How did the Sacred Music department

prepare you for your current roles?

The Sacred Music department has done

so much to prepare me for everything

my life consists of today. Much of what I

do involves children, with whom I had

experience prior to Westminster as an

elementary music teacher. Working with

Prof. Shelton really helped me to fine-

tune techniques I’ve used in the past,

get new ideas and new perspectives,

and fill in many of the gaps in my

knowledge of child pedagogy. In terms

of my Bucknell position, all of the skills

I’ve acquired through my degree pro-

gram are being used. Classes with Dr.

Pilkington allowed me to think deeply

about theology and music, and how the

two fit together to create a worship ser-

vice. I’ve learned to become a more en-

gaging and efficient rehearsal techni-

cian, as well as improve my conducting

technique. On a personal note, the Sa-

cred Music department has allowed me

to not only become a more open musi-

cian and conductor, but also a more

open person. I’m so grateful for all the

opportunities I was given during my time

at Westminster.

What attracted you to Westminster ini-

tially? Prior to coming here, I heard all

the great things one hears about West-

minster. For me it wasn’t until my audi-

tion that I was sold. Every single person

I met, both faculty members and stu-

dents, was so friendly and welcoming. I

remember that my interview with Dr.

Pilkington and Prof. Shelton felt not like

an interview, but like a chat with people

I had known a long time (even though I

had just met them.) It was obvious from

the few hours I spent on campus that

day that there truly was a community of

musicians here, with everyone support-

ing each other, faculty members and

students alike. My gut told me this was

where I needed to be, and my opinion

has not changed since. It is a special

place.

Why would you recommend Westmin-

ster to a young musician? No matter

what field of choral music you are going

into, you will be getting an amazing edu-

cation. You cannot beat the faculty

there. When all is said and done you will

be amazed that you survived, and ready

to take on the world. Not to mention

that performing at Carnegie Hall and the

Kimmel Center with world-renowned or-

chestras is a life-changing experience

you cannot get anywhere else.

What is one of your favorite memories

of the Sacred Music department? There

are so many! Getting our entire class to

dress up as Dr. Pilkington on Halloween

is certainly an “oldie but goodie.” On a

more serious note, when Dr. Pilkington

cooked dinner for the entire department

before our final service in Sacred Music

Lab, and then the service itself. Also…

making the Batman video with Sarah

Michal ’15 and Mark Loria ’15. Ah,

memories.

Lindsay Pope ’11

M.M. Choral Con-

ducting

Where are you now?

I am the director of

choral ensembles at

Mount Holyoke Col-

lege in South Had-

ley, Mass., which al-

so happens to be my

other alma mater!

How did the Conducting department

prepare you for your current roles?

I began teaching at Mount Holyoke di-

rectly after receiving my master’s from

Westminster. I was only 25 at the time,

and other than the opportunities that

Westminster had afforded me, had little

teaching experience. I remember writing

Dr. Miller an e-mail a couple months in-

to my job at Mount Holyoke thanking

him for how well Westminster had pre-

pared me for this work. I couldn’t be-

lieve that I was teaching at the college

level and actually succeeding! Most im-

portantly, Westminster taught me how

to make music at the highest level and

how to build a rich, resonant sound.

Westminster also taught me that mak-

ing music comes second to honoring

the humanity of each singer, and to cre-

ating a choral community that is inclu-

sive, safe, and sacred.

What attracted you to Westminster ini-

tially? My conducting teacher at the

time encouraged me to apply because

of Westminster’s unparalleled reputa-

tion. I chose Westminster because of

the choirs; before attending my West-

minster audition, I didn’t know choirs

could sound like that. When the West-

minster Choir began singing, my jaw lit-

erally dropped. There was something

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

magical about the community, and I knew

I needed to be a part of it.

Why would you recommend Westminster

to a young musician? I think Westminster

offers something unique. Not only are you

learning how to conduct, you are learning

how to sing at the highest possible level.

Having the Westminster sound perpetual-

ly in my inner ear reminds me every day

what is possible in choral singing. And

every day I bring this inspiration to my

own rehearsals and performances. I don’t

think that any other school can match the

level of music-making that Westminster

offers. So to a young musician I would

say, “Just go. Stop thinking about it. You

are about to be part of something amaz-

ing.”

What is one of your favorite memories of

the Conducting department? It is so hard

to choose! I would say my favorite

memory of Dr. Miller is the day in Master

Singers that he was teaching us how to

teach fugues while keeping a back beat.

He said to me, “Lindsay, all you need to

do is embrace your inner disco diva. Keep

- the beat.” Thanks to this advice, I em-

brace my inner disco diva every day, in-

side and outside the classroom.

Mary Copeley ’14

B.M. Organ Perfor-

mance with a minor in

Piano Pedagogy

Where are you now?

I’m in my second year

of graduate studies at

Yale University’s Insti-

tute of Sacred Music

and School of Music, where I study with

Thomas Murray. I also sing with the Yale

Schola Cantorum and am serving as the

interim director of music and organist at

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Darien,

Conn.

How did the Organ department prepare

you for your current roles? Having to pre-

pare for organ juries each semester and

for my junior and senior recitals definitely

helped in preparing me for my audition

and recitals here at Yale. Many of the

classes in organ repertoire, accompany-

ing, and improvisation greatly expanded

my knowledge of the instrument also.

Something I cannot possibly overlook

about my time at Westminster, though, is

the invaluable experience I got working

with many of the choirs there, both as an

accompanist and as a singer. I know for a

fact that I was chosen for my current job

over other applicants because of my

strong choral background. And I certainly

would not have gotten into Yale Schola

Cantorum had it not been for my training

at Westminster. The thorough choral edu-

cation offered to all students at Westmin-

ster, regardless of one’s major, is some-

thing for which I will forever be grateful.

What attracted you to Westminster initial-

ly? The organ faculty, the location, and the

people I met when I attended the Summer

Organ Institute in 2009.

Why would you recommend Westminster

to a young musician? I really think the fac-

ulty in each department is absolutely top-

notch. The performance opportunities that

the students get (including bragging rights

about performing at Carnegie Hall) are

also pretty unique. Westminster will give

you a well-rounded education, regardless

of your major. Also, it’s just one big family.

You’ll know it as soon as you set foot on

campus, whether it be for the first time or

when coming back as an alum.

What is one of your favorite memories of

the Organ department? Ah, there are so,

so many. Being a camp counselor for the

Summer Organ Institute is definitely up

there among my favorite memories

though.


By Jaakko Mäntyjärvi

The article that follows was written by

Finnish composer Jaakko Mäntyjärvi as

a result of his visit to the Choral Institute

at Oxford, now enjoying its fourth year.

Mäntyjärvi is recognized as one of the

world’s significant choral composers,

and his music is performed around the

globe by both professional and amateur

choirs. While Mäntyjärvi’s focus in this

article was conducting pedagogy and his

fascination with how the study and per-

formance of chant has become an inte-

gral part of the Institute, it is important

to note that Professors Steve Pilkington

of Sacred Music and Frank Abrahams of

Music Education play a vital role in the

lives and education of not only the 24

conductors that study there, but also in

the lives of the 52 members of West-

minster Williamson Voices that form the

resident choir of the Institute. The lec-

tures by Professors Pilkington and Abra-

hams were highlights of the Institute

last summer. In addition to the three

chanted Compline services performed

by all members of the Institute, Dr. Pilk-

ington also presented a deeply impact-

ful Compline service. For further infor-

mation on this program, including enroll-

ment information, see rider.edu/oxford.

– James Jordan

Westminster Choir College of Rider Uni-

versity (WCC), founded in 1926, is one

of the most prominent university-level

music institutions in the United States.

WCC offers undergraduate and graduate

SEEKING THE DNA OF WESTERN MUSIC

AT THE CHORAL INSTITUTE AT OXFORD

continued on page 8


programs in disciplines ranging from

voice performance, organ, and piano

study to choir conducting, music educa-

tion, theory, composition, and sacred

music, and is the only college in the

world whose focus is the performance of

choral music. WCC is home to a number

of distinguished choirs, most notably the

Westminster Symphonic Choir, and is

exceptional in having three world-class

chamber ensembles: Westminster Wil-

liamson Voices, Westminster Kantorei,

and Westminster Choir.

Outside the academic year, WCC organ-

izes a summer school open to everyone.

The choir conducting courses in particu-

lar, from beginning courses to the re-

nowned Westminster Conducting Insti-

tute, attract a wide variety of partici-

pants, from undergraduate and gradu-

ate music students to established teach-

ers and choir conductors taking the

courses as part of their continuing edu-

cation. In a recent development now

approaching its fourth year, WCC collab-

orates with St. Stephen’s House, a Per-

manent Private Hall at the University of

Oxford in the U.K., to offer an extraordi-

nary choir conducting seminar titled the

Choral Institute at Oxford (CIO).

But why take the trouble to cross the

ocean to give a summer course? WCC, it

should be said, has nothing to do with

the Westminster of abbey fame in Lon-

don. WCC professor of Choral Conduct-

ing James Jordan replies: “WCC had the

idea of establishing a presence in Eu-

rope, and my collaboration with British

composer James Whitbourn led to an

opportunity to jointly set up this course

at St. Stephen’s House, where

[Whitbourn] is a research fellow. We

sought a program with a resident choir

so accomplished that the conductors

could explore their own relationship with

sound and human connection. The im-

portance of having Westminster William-

son Voices in residence cannot be over-


stated; the choir is the real teacher. We

could not have wished for a better loca-

tion, for a number of reasons: the histor-

ic city of Oxford and the significance of

this particular building within it.” (We will

return to this a bit later.)

The word “unique” tends to recur in any

discussion of the CIO, and not without

justification. Whitbourn explains:

“[Jordan] and I co-direct the CIO in part-

nership. There is a joint vision between

two individuals and

between the two

extraordinary insti-

tutions which we

represent; it is part

of the strength

and character of

the CIO that we

can draw from two

astonishingly rich

traditions and

bring them into

one place.”

He continues: “The

CIO has a wide-

ranging academic

program with lec-

tures that complement and give context

to our practical conducting sessions. We

are able to draw on the expertise of col-

leagues from the faculty of music at the

University of Oxford and have worked

with all three ancient choral foundations

in the city (Magdalen, New College, and

Christ Church) in our programs to date.

CIO students quickly begin to absorb the

significance of the unbroken tradition of

choral singing we have here, extending

back hundreds of years.”

The active students at the CIO are divid-

ed into two groups, each working with a

chamber choir (half of Westminster Wil-

liamson Voices) under the instruction of

the two Jameses. But as daily podium

time is limited to some 15 minutes, the

students are instructed not to use their

time in rehearsing the choir; the focus is

on communication, i.e. how to get the

sound you want from the choir, through

non-verbal communication, human con-

nection, and listening. And, as Jordan

frequently says: “Be honest. Be yourself.

They can tell if you are not.”

Beyond the conducting sessions, lec-

tures, and concerts, a substantial por-

tion of the week is dedicated to what

can only be described as an immersion

course in chant.

Yes, chant—the earliest form of liturgical

music in the Western Christian world. So

is this really a liturgical course? Jordan

replies: “Well, St. Stephen’s House is an

Anglican theological seminary, but the

CIO is not about liturgy as such. We do

not impose criteria of denomination or

faith, and we are certainly not trying to

convert anyone. We do have an evening

service, Compline, on several evenings,

but its purpose is to provide a context

for the chant.”

Whitbourn explains: “I have sung and

studied chant since I was a teenager,

and it has influenced my whole musical

life. Despite its fundamental nature to

the tradition of the Western musical

world, it is often neglected as a musical

repertoire in music education, even at

SEEKING THE DNA OF WESTERN MUSIC

continued on page 9


SPRING 2016 EVENTS — JOIN US!

February 21 Westminster Jubilee Singers: Keeping the Faith (9 a.m. and

11 a.m., Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York City)

February 23 Sacred Music: Ecumenical Worship Service, featuring Mozart’s

Missa Brevis in C with strings (7 p.m., Bristol Chapel)

February 27 Organ: Joan Lippincott Competition for Excellence in Organ

Performance (2 p.m., Bristol Chapel)

March 3 Sacred Music: Ecumenical Worship Service, featuring

Westminster Concert Bell Choir (11:30 a.m., Bristol Chapel)

March 4 Westminster Choir: Romantic Genius, performing Beethoven’s

Choral Fantasia in C Minor and Mass in C Major (8 p.m.,

Princeton Meadow Church and Event Center)

March 10-13 Westminster Symphonic Choir with The Philadelphia Orchestra:

Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 “Symphony of a Thousand”

(8 p.m.; 2 p.m. on March 13, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia)

March 12-15 Westminster Schola Cantorum: 2016 Concert Tour to Va. and

N.C. (see rider.edu/wcc for details)

March 31 Sacred Music: Ecumenical Worship Service, featuring brass

quintet, organ, and percussion (11:30 a.m., Bristol Chapel)

April 2 Westminster Schola Cantorum: Refuge and Hope, featuring

works by Ives, Ames, Paulus, Lawn, and Hawley (8 p.m., Bristol

Chapel)

April 9 Westminster Williamson Voices: Abide, featuring music by

Brahms, Pärt, Gjiello, Paulus, LaVoy, Britten, Mendelssohn,

Whitaker, and Forrest (8 p.m., Bristol Chapel)

April 10 Westminster Williamson Voices: Abide, featuring music by

Brahms, Pärt, Gjiello, Paulus, LaVoy, Britten, Mendelssohn,

Whitaker, and Forrest (3 p.m., Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter

and Paul, Philadelphia)

April 23 Westminster Kantorei: Spring Concert (8 p.m., Princeton

University Chapel)

April 24 Westminster Jubilee Singers: Black Mass, infusing jazz into the

sacred element, featuring the historic Sacred Concerts of Duke

Ellington and an all-star jazz quintet (7:30 p.m., Bristol Chapel)

April 30 Westminster Concert Bell Choir: Songs of America, featuring

original works, folk song settings, patriotic favorites, and more

(4 p.m., Bristol Chapel)

May 1 Westminster Chapel Choir: Spring Concert (3 p.m., Bristol Chapel)

May 15-June 4 Westminster Concert Bell Choir: 2016 National Tour

(see rider.edu/wcc for details)

July 5-15 Choral Institute at Oxford (see rider.edu/oxford for details)

Subscribe to Westminster’s weekly performance e-newsletter at rider.edu/arts

Follow Westminster on Facebook! facebook.com/westminsterchoircollege

high-level colleges. It was because of

this that chant was placed high on the

agenda of the CIO.” Jordan agrees: “I

was convinced by my colleague

[Whitbourn] that chant, which emerged

in a natural process as a vehicle for con-

veying sacred texts, is nothing less than

the DNA of Western music. And in fact

this exposure has changed just about

everything I do, thanks to him. At the

CIO, we also approach chant from a

pedagogical perspective. Indeed, in the

book Discovering Chant, I propose that

plainchant is the foundation upon which

musicianship and musical skill are built.

I have found that practicing chant does

wonders for ensemble singing, blend,

cohesion and singing in tune, not to

mention the feeling of community that it

imbues.”

Chant also teaches you how to listen to

the space around you and how the

sound fits into it. St. Stephen’s House is

important in this respect, because its

chapels were specifically designed for

the singing of chant. Whitbourn de-

scribes its history: “St. Stephen’s House

occupies the buildings of a former Angli-

can monastery that played an important

role in the Oxford Movement, a 19th-

century effort to restore certain tradi-

tions that pre-dated the Church of Eng-

land, chant being one of these. Equally

important, plainchant continues to form

part of the daily life of St. Stephen’s

House during term time to this day.”

Small wonder, then, that in these spac-

es this music sounds as though it has

always been there.

For most choral singers in our part of

the world, chant is a boring recitation

that must be endured when singing at

church services as payment in kind for

the use of rehearsal space. From this

perspective, it may be difficult to con-

ceive of chant as a “deep structure” of

continued on page 12


SEEKING THE DNA continued from page 8


By Daryl Robinson

In Fall 2015 the Organ department wel-

comed new full-time faculty member

Daryl Robinson, new instructor of organ

improvisation Dr. Jason Roberts

(assistant director of music and organist

at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New

York City), and seven incoming students.

New initiatives for community engage-

ment and education about the pipe or-

gan are underway; additionally, new

online, social media, and print advertis-

ing has proven very successful in help-

ing spread news about our department.

Visit rider.edu/organ for more infor-

mation and follow us on Facebook

(facebook.com/wccorgan) and Twitter

(twitter.com/wccorgan)! With 20 full-

time organ majors currently enrolled

and 18 fully functional pipe organs on

campus, Westminster is poised to con-

tinue its long tradition of educating our

nation’s foremost organists and sacred

musicians.

Aeolian-Skinner Op. 981 (known as the

Praetorius Organ) has been relocated to

Dayton Hall and fully restored, allowing

the instrument to be fully used for the

first time in many decades! Special

thanks to Steve Emery ’76 and the

craftsmen at Emery Brothers, Inc. of Al-

lentown, Pa. for their dedication to see-

ing that this instrument be restored and

cared for.

The 2015 Westminster Organ Institute

provided an opportunity for organists

age 14-19 to take daily lessons with

Daryl Robinson, Matthew Lewis, and Er-

ic Plutz ’89, learn about the mechanics

of the pipe organ, participate in the

Westminster Vocal Institute, and per-

form a final concert in Bristol Chapel. All

participants also attended an organ

crawl to the Philadelphia area, seeing

instruments built by Dobson, Rieger, E.

M. Skinner, Hook and Hastings, and fi-

nally the famous Wanamaker organ at

Macy’s. The 2016 Organ Institute will

run July 3-16 and will

include trips to New

York City and Ocean

Grove, N.J.

Nassau Presbyterian

Church of Princeton

(Noel Werner ’90, direc-

tor of music) and the

Organ department at

Westminster are

pleased to announce

the creation of a new

opportunity for graduate students in Or-

gan Performance or Sacred Music be-

ginning in Fall 2016. This nine-month

(September to May), 19-hours-a-week

part-time position will offer a highly qual-

ified student unique experiences work-

ing with volunteers of all ages in a very

active and conveniently located congre-

gation. Please share with any interested

potential applicants, and for more infor-

mation, including a complete job de-

scription and compensation details,

please contact Daryl Robinson, assis-

tant professor of Organ, at

[email protected].

Recent and Upcoming Organ Depart-

ment Events

October 30, 2015: James Thom-

ashower, president of the American

Guild of Organists, visited the Westmin-

ster campus to meet students and fac-

ulty, and to discuss future joint projects

between Westminster and the American

Guild of Organists

November 11, 2015: Master class with

Michel Bouvard, professor of Organ at

the Paris Conservatory, at the Princeton

University Chapel—the first event co-

sponsored by the organ studios of

Princeton University, Rutgers University,

and Westminster Choir College

February 7, 2016: Daryl Robinson Facul-

ty Recital, 7:30 p.m. in Bristol Chapel

February 19, 2016: Studio Recital fea-

turing the complete Leipzig Chorale Prel-

udes of Johann Sebastian Bach, 7:30

p.m. in Miller Chapel, Princeton Theolog-

ical Seminary

February 27, 2016: The Joan Lippincott

Competition for Excellence in Organ Per-

formance, 2 p.m. in Bristol Chapel

July 3-16, 2016: The Westminster Organ

Institute for High School Organists

ORGAN DEPARTMENT WELCOMES NEW FACULTY AND INITIATIVES



NEW FACULTY AND INITIATIVES

Notable Recent and Upcoming Organ

Faculty Performances

Matthew Lewis

Recital and master classes at the

Central Conservatory of Music, Janu-

ary 2016, Beijing, China

Alan Morrison

Appointed organist-in-residence for

Spivey Hall in Atlanta, Ga.

Soloist for Barber’s Toccata Festiva

with the Philadelphia Chamber Or-

chestra, May 10, 2015, the Kimmel

Center, Verizon Hall, Philadelphia, Pa.

Recital on the Celebrity Organ Recital

Series, June 10, 2015, St. Paul’s Ca-

thedral, London, U.K.

Daryl Robinson

Solo recital and collaborative recital

for the sixth-annual Fred J. Cooper

Memorial Organ Day, June 11, 2016,

the Kimmel Center, Verizon Hall, Phil-

adelphia, Pa.

Two recitals for the American Guild of

Organists national convention, June

19, 2016, Rice University, Houston,

Tex.

Notable Recent and Upcoming Organ

Student Performances

In Spring 2016, Adam Bergstresser ’16

and Bethan Neely ’16 will complete their

B.M. in Organ Performance; Sean Burns

’16, Peter Carter ’16, and Jim Roman

’16 will complete their M.M. in Organ

Performance. Each will present a final

degree recital; check our Organ depart-

ment website for dates (rider.edu/

organ).

Mark Pall ’19 (B.M. Sacred Music, stu-

dio of Daryl Robinson) will perform a so-

lo recital on February 25, 2016 at Mar-

ble Collegiate Church in New York City.

A TRIBUTE TO HELEN KEMP ’41 (MARCH 31, 1918–AUGUST 23, 2015)

By Tom Shelton

I arrived at Westminster Choir College in

2012. My position is in the Sacred Mu-

sic department and concentrates on

children’s and youth music. As soon as I

arrived, I received a phone call from

Helen Kemp. She was so excited that I

was there and wanted to have lunch

with me to discuss my participation in

the Kemp Church Music Symposium.

Over the next four years, I would meet

with her at her apartment with her

daughter Kathy Ridl and many times

Sue Ellen Page, and we would all brain-

storm, talk about clinicians, and discuss

what would most benefit church musi-

cians for this special event.

Helen was so many things. Beautiful,

regal, graceful, smart; sharp as a tack,

generous, innovative, forward thinking,

funny, and all around amazing. She was

a mentor, rock star, and very down to

earth, always thinking about what

teachers and church musicians would

need to hear…even in her nineties. She

was timeless. At one of our meetings

early on, she had music spread across

the dining room table. She was working

on a commission. Actually, she was

working on two commissions. Helen

Kemp was 95 and had two commis-

sions. I was amazed at her energy and

creativity.

Two years ago, I organized a “Summer

Re-Charge Workshop” for children’s and

youth choir directors. I asked Helen if

she would be a special guest. She was

95 at the time, and I didn’t want to cre-

ate work for her. I told her I wanted to

do a session featuring many of her com-

positions, and she could just talk about

them, give us insight and inspiration.

She wanted me to conduct her pieces. I

was happy to do this. I said, “I will watch

you and if it’s not the tempo you want,

let me know.” Her daughter Julia said,

“You should have never said that.” Of

course, Helen had definite ideas about

her compositions, and you better be-

lieve I followed her conducting (from the

stool) to a T! About halfway through the

session, I asked her if she wanted to

conduct; I wanted to make sure the

compositions were what she wanted

musically. She emphatically said no…

but then, of course, continued to con-

duct me through every piece. It was

truly a joyful experience!

One of my biggest blessings of working

at Westminster has been my time with

Helen Kemp. We worked together the

past four years on the Kemp Church

Music Symposium. The most recent one

was held in October 2015. She had

passed in August, but most of the sym-

posium was already planned and ready

to go. She always loved to close the day

with a hymn festival. The theme was

“With a Voice of Singing”, and the hymn

festival was the only thing that was not

fully planned. I worked with her daugh-

ter Kathy to put it together, and it

served as a celebration of Helen’s life’s

work. I probably got a little carried away

and planned too much; as a matter of

fact, during the hymn festival I could

hear Helen saying in my ear, “Tom, this

is lovely…but it is too long!”



Department of Conducting,

Organ, and Sacred Music

101 Walnut Lane

Princeton, NJ 08540

609-921-7100

rider.edu/wcc

Amanda Quist, department chair

Ryan Brandau, conducting

Carolann Buff, musicology

James Jordan, conducting

Joe Miller, director of choral activities

Matthew Lewis, organ

Alan Morrison, organ

Daryl Robinson, organ

Jason Roberts, organ improvisation

Kathleen Scheide, harpsichord

Steve Pilkington, sacred music

Tom T. Shelton, Jr., sacred music

Kathleen Ebling Shaw, handbells

Brandon Waddles, Jubilee Singers

Kevin Radtke, coordinator

CONDUCTING, ORGAN, AND SACRED MUSIC

DEPARTMENT


Helen Kemp lived a long, beautiful, artis-

tic, accomplished, and influential life,

and is counted as a mentor and inspira-

tion by thousands of talented and dedi-

cated musicians, teachers, and perform-

ers. In an interview with Ryan Guth ’06,

he asked Helen, “What’s the secret to

live a happy life to age 97?” She replied,

“Feed your soul. Read. Give. And sur-

round yourself with others who are pas-

sionate about their gifts.”

She planned much of her “Joyful Cele-

bration of Life”, which was held on Sep-

tember 19, 2015. She wanted it to be in

Bristol Chapel—where she first heard

Bach, first sang with the Westminster

Choir, where she met and married her

husband John Kemp. I sat in the back

row with tears in my eyes, knowing this

was truly full-circle for her.

She lived a remarkable life, and set an

example for us to follow: to live with pur-

pose, to love with no bounds, and to

sing with joy. I love that her obituary

stated, “In lieu of flowers, sing a joyful

song in Helen’s memory!” In Helen’s

memory, I offer the words of one of my

favorite Helen Kemp compositions—

Set the sun dancing! New life has begun!

Star, you must fade, for your journey is done.

New Year rides onward now,

Christmas is gone.

Carry the light with us as we move on.

For the light that is shining is our light to

hold.

Light that’s not hidden where

Good News is told.

A TRIBUTE TO HELEN KEMP ’41

“The art of teaching is the heart of

reaching; one child, one soul, one

person, one at a time.”

- Helen Kemp


music. Yet the roots of Western choral

music in particular go back so deeply

and so firmly into the musical traditions

of the Western churches that chant is

difficult if not impossible to ignore what-

ever one’s beliefs or life philosophy

might be. And appreciating chant is not

just about the dots on the page. It is

also about connecting with the other

singers, with the surrounding space,

and with the sound that gives life to the

text. When all this comes together,

chant can have a visceral impact that

few other experiences can match, giving

credence to the notion that it really is

something that is hard-wired into our

musical consciousness. As Whitbourn

writes in the introduction to his collec-

tion of chants that accompanies the

aforementioned book Discovering

Chant: “This is music that choral musi-

cians have to know and understand just

as a writer has to know the alphabet.”

SEEKING THE DNA continued from page 9

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