conducting organ sacred music winter 2017 · choral directors association this year. ... music,...

Greetings from the Department of Con-

ducting, Organ, and Sacred Music! As I

write this, I can see students, faculty, and

staff bustling around the quad on their

way to lessons, classes, and rehearsals.

We are optimistic and energized about the

important work toward a positive future

for Westminster Choir College, while being

mindful of our incredible history and tradi-

tions. To this end, there are several excit-

ing developments to report.

tured Anton Armstrong as guest conduc-

tor, and drew approximately 150 partici-

pants from over a dozen organizations in

the tri-state area. The Sacred Music and

Organ areas continue to present campus

worship services throughout the semester,

prepared by the students and faculty of

the Sacred Music Colloquium. In January,

we will be offering our annual Church

Music Exchange.

Westminster Jubilee Singers recently

gained a new conductor with Mr. Vinroy

Brown, a recent graduate of Westminster,

and Jubilee alum. Please see the article

regarding Vinroy and Jubilee Singers later

in this newsletter. Tom Shelton is continu-

ing his important work with the Neighbor-

hood Children’s Choir, bringing music into

the lives of several Princeton and Trenton

area youth, while providing internship ex-

perience for our students. He is also serv-

ing as National President for the American

Choral Directors Association this year.

Alan Morrison is working with several of

our talented organists, many of whom are

currently preparing for senior and gradu-

ate recitals. The department continues to

collaborate with the Princeton Theological

Seminary in teaching courses in sacred

music and continues to provide intern-

ships to students in area churches as

leaders, singers, and organists, including

Trinity Episcopal Church, Nassau Presby-

terian Church, and several others.

The very successful Transforming Spaces

project, which brought us Anthracite Fields

last year, continued with the Chapel Choir

and Schola Cantorum this fall. The two

choirs, conducted by James Jordan and

Amanda Quist, performed Johannes

DEAR COLLEAGUES, ALUMNI, AND FRIENDS,

We kicked off the year with our Fall Convo-

cation in September. Bristol Chapel was

filled with the voices of students, faculty,

staff, and administration, with organist

Eric Plutz (BM Organ Performance ’89)

leading us in hymns and anthems as we

celebrated the coming of the new year.

The Sacred Music area has organized

several significant events for this year,

and is very excited to announce two new

curriculum offerings. The BM in Sacred

Music has been completely revised, and

includes the opportunity for students to

select a track for study. Track options in-

clude Urban Church Music, Cantor/Early

Music, Adult Conducting, Organ, Chil-

dren’s & Youth Music, and Bells (follow

this link for more information). We are

also offering a new track in our MM in

Sacred Music degree called Practical Ped-

agogy. This will allow people the oppor-

tunity to earn a MM in Sacred Music pri-

marily online and in the summers, allow

them to earn a degree while keeping their

current church position (further infor-

mation here). Along with these new tracks,

we welcome our new Coordinator of Con-

ducting, Organ, and Sacred Music, Brian

Sengdala, who will also serve as Coordina-

tor for RSCM America.

In partnership with Westminster Continu-

ing Education, the Sacred Music area of-

fered its annual Kemp Symposium on Sat-

urday, October 7, in Bristol Chapel. The

Symposium, “Sacred Songs, Social Jus-

tice,” featured clinician/composer Mark

Miller, and several breakout sessions with

Westminster faculty Kathy Ebling Shaw

and Tom Shelton. Westminster partnered

with RSCM America to launch a new Youth

Choir Festival on our campus. Held on

Saturday, October 21, this festival fea-

Growth in the Sacred

Music Department

2

Recordings 3

Summer at Westminster 4

Vinroy D. Brown Jr. Welcomed as

New Conductor of Westminster

Jubilee Singers

5

Sacred Music Lab 6

The Kemp Church

Music Symposium

7

Neighborhood Children’s Choir 7

Inaugural RSCM and Westminster

Choir College Chorister Festival

8

Interviews 9

From the Podium to the Pulpit:

How One Choral Conductor was

Called to the Priesthood

11

IN THIS ISSUE:

CONDUCTING

ORGAN

SACRED MUSIC

Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter

Winter 2017

continued on page 2

http://catalog.rider.edu/westminster-choir-college/undergraduate-programs/bm-music-sacred-music/#programrequirementtext

http://catalog.rider.edu/westminster-choir-college/graduate-programs/mm-sacred-music-practical-pedagogy/


DEAR COLLEAGUES, ALUMNI, AND FRIENDS, continued from page 1

Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer, op. 52, in

the ballroom of the Trenton War Memori-

al with Trenton-based dance company,

Dancespora, on November 3 and 5, with

Westminster faculty pianists James

Goldsworthy and Ena Barton. The two

choirs will collaborate again in the Spring

with a performance in Lincoln Center with

Manhattan Concert Productions. The

Westminster Symphonic Choir, conduct-

ed by Joe Miller and associate conductor

Ryan Brandau, engaged in several perfor-

mances this fall, including Beethoven’s

Ninth Symphony with the Princeton

Symphony, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with

the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Holst’s Plan-

ets with Philadelphia Orchestra, and will

perform Handel’s Messiah with the New

York Philharmonic.

The Westminster Choir, conducted by Joe

Miller, received rave reviews at the World

Choral Symposium in Barcelona, Spain,

this past July, where it was the only colle-

giate ensemble invited to represent the

United States. Williamson Voices served

as the ensemble for the Oxford Conduct-

ing Institute in July, drawing several peo-

ple from the US and Great Britain to work

with faculty members James Jordan and

Steve Pilkington, and Oxford faculty mem-

ber and composer James Whitbourn.

Westminster Kantorei was invited to per-

form in the Boston Early Music Festival

this past June, and released its first full-

length commercial recording, Lumina, on

the Westminster label, distributed by

Naxos this past September. Kantorei has

also been selected to perform at the

ACDA Eastern Division Conference this

coming March, 2018. The Westminster

Concert Bell Choir, conducted by Kath-

leen Ebling Shaw, has a series of perfor-

mances throughout the fall semester,

and is celebrating its 40th year. Keep an

eye out for our choirs touring in January,

March, and this summer. Westminster

Choir will be touring throughout the Mid-

west this January, Schola Cantorum will

tour the Southeast this March, and the

Bell Choir will tour Texas in May. Chapel

Choir will host its annual High School

Invitational Festival this March, bringing

over 400 high school singers to the West-

minster campus.

Recent graduates are accepting positions

and entering graduate schools through-

out the world. Among them, Joel Trekell,

(B.M. Organ Performance ’17), accepted

the organ scholar position at Hereford

Cathedral, along with Mark Laseter, (B.M.

Voice Performance ’14), who has taken a

choral scholar position there. Matthew

Brady (M.M. Choral Conducting ’14) has

accepted the Director of Choirs position

at California State University, San Bernar-

dino. Mary Dolch (née Copeley; B.M.

Organ Performance and Piano Pedagogy

minor ’14) is Associate Director of Chapel

Music at St. Paul’s School in Concord,

NH. Mark Loria (M.M. Sacred Music,

Organ emphasis ’15) has taken the posi-

tion of Principal Organist at the Cathedral

Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadel-

phia, PA.

We are very proud of our alumni, and

excited to see all of the growth and suc-

cess of the thousands of organists,

church leaders, teachers, performers,

and conductors who have come through

Westminster Choir College. This is in-

deed a magical place, and we are fed by

the strength of our illustrious past, as we

enthusiastically explore the most effec-

tive ways to strengthen our position for

the future. A special thank you to all who

support the work and legacy of Westmin-

ster Choir College – the only school of its

kind in the world.

Sincerely,

Amanda Quist

Chair and Associate Professor

Conducting/Organ/Sacred Music

Westminster Choir College

[email protected]

By Dr. Steven Pilkington

The last academic year was especially

fruitful for the Sacred Music department.

After a decade of use, the undergraduate

curriculum was reimagined and re-

freshed to meet the needs of musicians

hoping to work in the complicated and

ever-changing environment that charac-

terizes post-modern Christian practice.

New focus areas allow students to

choose a program of breadth and depth

that continues the grand Westminster

tradition of training spiritually-activated

conductors, vocalists, pianists, and or-

ganists while allowing for experiences in

areas that are of special interest. These

include a new program in early music/

cantorial studies, an emphasis on direct-

ing children and youth choirs, a focus on

handbell leadership, and a newly consid-

ered opportunity to train in urban church

music. We’re excited by the many new

courses that are now available to our

eager students.

Additionally, a very exciting, first-ever,

summers-only, online master’s degree in

Sacred Music with an emphasis on prac-

tical pedagogy was approved last May

and will begin running this coming sum-

mer (2018). Designed for those musi-

cians already working in the field, wheth-

er as teachers or in the church, or per-

sons who desire a Westminster degree

but do not have the time or resources for

a two-year residency, this program prom-

GROWTH IN THE SACRED MUSIC DEPARTMENT

continued on page 3

https://www.amazon.com/Lumina-Amanda-Quist/dp/B075KNBN1H/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506979728&sr=8-1&keywords=Westminster+Lumina


ises to be a boon to our already robust

graduate population. All courses will be

online except for one 3-week on-campus

experience as well as an option to use

our many summer workshop weeks to

help complete the degree requirements.

We feel this program will be exciting to

church musicians all across America as

well as in Asia and South and Central

America. We have great expectations for

this innovative program!

Another of the attractions for our sum-

mer master’s program is the opportunity

to fulfill the conducting requirement by

attending the Conducting Institute at

Oxford. Last summer, the fifth anniver-

sary of this inspiring program was cele-

brated. Dozens of conductors travelled

from across America and as far away as

New Zealand to experience 10 days of

choral bliss with James Jordan and the

Westminster Williamson Voices as well

as some of England’s finest choral con-

ductors and scholars. Their many stories

of musical, spiritual, and personal growth

are moving and uplifting. Whether look-

ing for a recharge or the next level of

artistic maturation, the Oxford experi-

ence never fails to stimulate hearts and

minds. And Oxford’s many pubs provide

invigorating venues for further growth

and spirited conversation. Not ready to

conduct Williamson Voices? Come as an

associate conductor and work with Dr.

Pilkington as many church musicians

and teachers have already done. Rous-

ing testimonies to all of the enticements

noted above abound; check us out on

online on at www.rider.edu/oxford.

Best wishes for a fantastic holiday!

GROWTH IN THE SACRED MUSIC DEPARTMENT

RECORDINGS

The Department of Conducting, Organ,

and Sacred Music is proud to have re-

leased three critically-acclaimed CD’s

this past year. Below are details on these

recordings, and other recent and upcom-

ing projects.

Amanda Quist recorded Lumina with

Westminster Kantorei – the ensemble’s

debut solo recording. Featuring two

Westminster alumni as soloists, Mike

Williams and Thomas Lynch, and Ba-

roque specialists from New York, the

album was produced by Malcolm Bruno

and released on the Westminster Choir

College label. The repertoire is “sung in

exemplary and sensitive fashion…for

those inspired by liturgical music from

multiple eras, sung with great beauty of

sound and excellent articulation, this will

be a CD to cherish.” – infodad.com.

Lumina was recently the Choral Featured

Album on Minnesota Public Radio.

“The Latin word Lumina means to illumi-

nate, shine, brighten, or reveal,” says

Dr. Quist. “Each of the works on this re-

cording speaks to the presence of light

throughout our life journey: from birth to

death, through love, disappointment,

forgiveness, and transcendence. These

pieces are drawn primarily from Renais-

sance and Baroque composers of Eng-

land and Germany, with the inclusion of

two special 19th-century works by com-

posers who were deeply

inspired by the ideas and

musical styles of these ear-

lier time periods.” Lumina’s

repertoire spans the mysti-

cal 12th-century chant of

Hildegard von Bingen

through works by J.S. Bach,

Henry Purcell, William Byrd,

and 19th century compos-

ers Felix Mendelssohn and

Josef Rheinberger.

James Jordan released Carolae with the

Westminster Williamson Voices, featur-

ing music by the University of Oxford’s

James Whitbourn and Westminster Choir

College’s own Steven Pilkington. Whit-

bourn, a close friend of the college, also

produced the CD. Also featured were Eric

Rieger of the voice faculty, members of

the Philadelphia Orchestra playing brass,

and Daryl Robinson on organ. “The mu-

sic on the Carolae recording is a fusion

of two great Christmas traditions from

England and America,” says Whitbourn,

referring to the well-known Festival of

Nine Lessons and Carols that originated

at King's College Cambridge in 1918 and

Westminster’s Evening of Readings and

Carols, which has been performed in

Princeton since 1992.

This is the Westminster Williamson Voic-

es and James Jordan’s third recording of

music by James Whitbourn. The first,

Living Voices, received four stars from

Gramophone magazine. The second,

Annelies, the first choral setting of the

Diary of Anne Frank, was nominated for

a 2013 Grammy Award for Best Choral

Performance.

Joe Miller and the Westminster Choir are

currently in preparation for their next

recording, which will include the Frank

Martin Mass for Double Choir. Described

by the American Record Guide as “the

gold standard for academic choirs in

continued on page 4

continued from page 2

http://www.rider.edu/oxford


SUMMER AT WESTMINSTER

By Dr. Joe Miller

Summer at Westminster is always a time

for musicians to gather, study, and cele-

brate the joy of making music. Whether

it is music celebrations coming from our

own ensembles or seasonal ensembles

and workshops that give opportunities

to musicians from around the world to

participate in our community, the reach

of Westminster shines a great light into

the world.

The Westminster Summer Choral Festi-

val featured Monteverdi’s Vespers of

1610 performed at the Philadelphia

Episcopal Cathedral and the Princeton

Theological Seminary. Since its founding

in 1972 by Robert Shaw, the Westmin-

ster Summer Choral Festival has been a

significant part of the fabric of the West-

minster Choir College and the American

choral experience. This year’s festival

featured a paramount collaboration with

Piffaro, under the leadership of Artistic

Directors Joan Kimball and Bob

Wiemken, the world-renowned pied pip-

ers of early music. Amanda Quist, John

Russell, Ryan Brandau, and Deanna Jo-

sephs joined Joe Miller on the faculty.

The Choral Institute at Oxford was again

led by James Jordan and James Whit-

bourn. Conducting students also gath-

ered under the tutelage of one of West-

minster’s most inspirational teachers,

Steven Pilkington, in addition to the Insti-

tute directors and other faculty. Dr.

Pilkington’s lectures and insights are one

of the annual highlights. Westminster

Williamson Voices were in residence

serving as a workshop choir for the par-

ticipants as well as giving concerts for

the Institute.

Westminster Kantorei, conducted by

Amanda Quist, was selected to perform

at Early Music America's Young Perform-

ers Festival as part of the Boston Early

Music Festival, “the world’s leading festi-

val of early music” (The Times, London).

Performing works by Byrd, Purcell,

Schütz, Bach, and others, this program

was dedicated to the relationship be-

tween hope, transformation, and the

sacred found through prayer.

The Westminster Choir represented the

United States at the 11th World Symposi-

um on Choral Music in Barcelona in July.

Hosted by the International Federation

for Choral Music (IFCM), the symposium

included performances, seminars and

master classes presented by some of the

world’s leading choral musicians.

The Choir traveled first to Madrid to pre-

sent three concerts in the surrounding

area. On Sunday, July 23 it presented a

noon-time concert as part of the Festival

Música Vocal Las Navas del Marqués.

That afternoon it was invited to present a

concert at the historic Basílica del Real

Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escori-

al, historical residence of the kings of

Spain. Tuesday, July 25, it performed in

Segovia’s Inglesia de San Juan de Cabal-

leros, which dates from the 11th century,

at the Festival de Segovia.

The ensemble's members also managed

to tour historic sites between each con-

cert and to spend a day experiencing the

city of Toledo. Wednesday, they traveled

to Barcelona for the Symposium, where

it presented four concerts. The first con-

cert, presented in the Catalan town Puig

Ruig, was webcast world-wide by the

town’s radio station. The choir members

were warmly embraced by the town,

which was once a center for textile mills.

At the conclusion of the concert, Enric

Genesca, director of the Federació Cata-

lana d'Entitats Corals and the concert

host, presented the Choir and Joe Miller

with an antique shuttle used in one of

the mills. After being called back for an

America,” the choir released The Heart’s

Reflection, a collection of music by West-

minster alum Daniel Elder, in 2013. Min-

nesota Public Radio's Classical Music

Blog described the recording as "simply

astounding," and Classics Today hailed it

as "First Rate and Highly Recommended."

Westminster Choir with Joe Miller has

also released two highly acclaimed re-

cordings Flower of Beauty and Noël, a

collection of French Christmas music fea-

turing the most recorded mezzo-soprano

of our era, Jennifer Larmore ‘80, and for-

mer Westminster organist Ken Cowan.

Another recent and celebrated release is

the Westminster Symphonic Choir’s per-

formance of Beethoven’s Symphony No.

9, recorded live at Richardson Auditorium

in Princeton. It also features Westmin-

ster alumna Leah Wool, mezzo-soprano.

The choir, prepared by Joe Miller, was

joined by the Vienna Chamber Orchestra,

conducted by Mark Laycock, in perfor-

mance for the celebration of philanthro-

pist William H. Scheide’s 100th birthday.

In its 40th year, Westminster Concert

Bell Choir has released eight recordings

with conductor Kathy Ebling Shaw: West-

minster Rings!, Praise and Adoration,

Christmas at Westminster: The Westmin-

ster Concert Bell Choir, By Request,

30th Anniversary Collection, A Time To

Dance, An English Christmas and Let

Freedom Ring.

RECORDINGS

continued on page 5


http://www.bemf.org/pages/fest/fringe.htm

http://www.bemf.org/pages/fest/fringe.htm

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/comparing_notes/archive/2013/11/the_hearts_refl.shtml




http://www.classicstoday.com/review/daniel-elders-choral-music-definitely-excellent/


encore and the Lutkin Benediction, the

audience turned the tables and sang a

song for the choir, a melody that tradi-

tionally closes the town’s music festival

in the spring. The hospitality continued

with a post-concert reception that includ-

ed delicious local pastries and fruit from

the surrounding orchards. Enric Gen-

esca, who is also a member of the World

Symposium Planning Committee, pre-

sented Joe Miller with a porron, a tradi-

tional Catalan glass wine pitcher, and

instructed him in the appropriate drink-

ing technique. It was an evening all will

remember!

The Choir’s concert on Friday, July 28,

included the premiere of Lux surgit Au-

rea by Spanish composer Bernat

Vivancos, commissioned for the symposi-

um. Presented in Barcelona’s L’Auditori,

it was hailed by an enthusiastic audience

that leapt to its feet at

the conclusion. West-

minster alumna Su-

san McCreary Duprey

wrote about the per-

formance, “I am VERY

proud of my alma ma-

ter, Westminster

Choir College. They

nailed their perfor-

mance tonight and

experienced an in-

stant standing ovation (from a very criti-

cal crowd too, mind you).”

The Choir presented a lunch time con-

cert in Barcelona before driving to the

historic Abbey of Montserrat, where it

performed a final concert of sacred mu-

sic that was webcast world-wide by the

Abbey. A recording of the broadcast is

now on the Westminster Choir College

YouTube channel.

The concert was a dramatic conclusion

to the 2016-2017 season for the West-

minster Choir. Approximately half of its

members have graduated and are mov-

ing on to the next phase in their profes-

sional lives, enriched by the opportunity

to share Westminster’s music on the

world stage.

SUMMER AT WESTMINSTER

By Dr. James Jordan

Westminster enthusiasti-

cally welcomes the new

director of the Westmin-

ster Jubilee Singers, Vin-

roy Brown to the Westmin-

ster community. A gradu-

ate in music education

and sacred music from

Westminster, he served

as graduate assistant con-

ductor of Jubliee as a stu-

dent . His inaugural sea-

son with the Jubilee Singers includes

performances of the R. Nathaniel Dett

oratorio The Ordering of Moses and Adol-

phus Hailstork’s Shout For Joy in addi-

tion to the premieres of new works.

An active church musician, he is director

of Music & Worship Arts at Elmwood

United Presbyterian Church

where his responsibilities

include nurturing and

building music and arts

programs across their

three campuses. He is also

founder, artistic director,

and conductor of the

Elmwood Concert Singers,

who in their short tenure

have performed a wide

literature of works through-

out the region, most re-

cently at the historic Hah-

ne’s Building at the invitation of the New

Jersey Performing Arts Center. Previous

seasons included performances of Han-

del’s Messiah, the Faure Requiem and

the Robert Ray Gospel Mass.

Professor Brown also serves on the

guest Conducting faculty of the Trenton

Children’s Chorus, previously conducting

the touring ensemble in Ocean Grove, NJ

and at Rider University. He began his

appointment as conductor of the 25-

voice Capital Singers of Trenton Chorale

this Fall, and he will become the artistic

director and conductor of the 90-voice

Capital Singers of Trenton in January

2018. His premiere concert with the

Capital Singers of Trenton will include a

performance of the Vaughan Williams

Mass in G Minor. Committed to music

education in public schools, he is cur-

rently director of choral activities at

Morristown High School. Before joining

the faculty at Morristown, he taught

K-12 general music and music to stu-

dents with special needs in Bayonne,

New Jersey.

continued on page 6

VINROY D. BROWN JR. WELCOMED AS

NEW CONDUCTOR OF WESTMINSTER JUBILEE SINGERS


https://youtu.be/Kq06B1FL4qE

https://youtu.be/Kq06B1FL4qE


VINROY D. BROWN JR. WELCOMED

A noted baritone, he has sung on concert

and opera stages across the country, as

both a soloist and chorister. He has per-

formed in the world’s greatest concert

halls with today’s leading orchestras:

among them the Philadelphia Orchestra,

New York Philharmonic, and Berlin Phil-

harmonic. Among his most notable en-

gagements was the filming of Beetho-

ven’s Ninth Symphony with the Vienna

Chamber Orchestra and the Westminster

Symphonic Choir for the Great Perfor-

mances Showcase on PBS. He made his

New York Lyric Opera Theatre debut at

Carnegie Hall performing scenes from

Massenet’s Manon and Mascagni’s

Cavalleria rusticana.

Brown holds active memberships in the

National Association for Music Educa-

tion, American Choral Directors Associa-

tion, and the National Association of Ne-

gro Musicians, Inc., for which he is first

vice president of the collegiate division.

A New Brunswick, NJ native, he holds

degrees in Sacred Music and Music Edu-

cation from Westminster Choir College.

SACRED MUSIC LAB

By Professor Tom Shelton

Every Tuesday night, “Sacred Music Lab”

is offered. Sacred Music majors, both

undergraduate and graduate, come to-

gether to collaborate on Worship Ser-

vices for the campus. In addition, we

have guest artists present on topical in-

formation related to our studies.

The students are divided into three

groups. Each group meets together to

plan, collaborate, rehearse, and prepare

for their worship experience. This semes-

ter we’ve offered three worship services

for the campus:

“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, Tuesday,

October 17, featured the Westminster

Jubilee Choir – Professor Vinroy Brown,

conductor. In addition, guest seminari-

an Tak Kin Ho gave a beautiful homily.

Tak Kin is currently a Princeton Theo-

logical Seminary student and has a

graduate degree in Sacred Music from

Westminster Choir College.

“Present in God’s Presence,” Tuesday,

November 14, featured members of

Westminster Kantorei – Dr. Amanda

Quist, conductor. In addition, guest

seminarian Kristian Kohler (Yale Divini-

ty School and Sacred Music graduate

of Westminster Choir College) present-

ed the homily.

“Anticipating Hope – A Service of Nine

Lessons and Carols,” December 5,

featured Concert Bell Choir II, conduct-

ed by Professor Kathy Shaw.

In addition to these three services, we

have had several guest artists over the

Fall Semester:

Brian Hehn, is the director of The Cen-

ter for Congregational Song (The Hymn

Society) and also author of the book All

Hands In: Drumming the Biblical Narra-

tive. We took full advantage of his

many talents and offered two presenta-

tions on Tuesday, October 3: “Breaking

Through the Contemporary/Traditional

Divide” and “Drumming for Worship.”

Professor Nova Thomas offered a voice

master class on Tuesday, October 24.

The master class offered opportunities

for our students to present Sacred Mu-

sic repertoire and be guided by the

expertise of Professor Thomas. Sacred

Music students Olivia Sandel, Peter

Schertz, Marissa DeVeau, Lucy Hole,

and Rachel Tyler all performed during

the master class.

Dr. Anton Armstrong served as a guest

artist for the Sacred Music Department

on Friday, October 20. During the day

he worked with two ensembles: Chapel

Choir and Westminster Choir; led a

conducting masterclass for the Sacred

Music students, and met with the stu-

dents for “Coffee and Conversation.”

This offered an informal opportunity for

them to ask questions and visit with Dr.

Armstrong.




The Kemp Endowment for Church Music

at Westminster Choir College of Rider

University honors the memory and legacy

of John S. C. Kemp, church musician and

educator, who chaired the Sacred Music

department at Westminster during the

1970s and early 1980s. Its foundation is

based on Dr. Kemp’s belief that rigorous

musical training and scholarship, as well

as continuing education and the devel-

opment of pastoral skills, are crucial for

music ministry to be effective. By sup-

porting student scholarships and lecture-

ships at Westminster, the Kemp Endow-

ment sponsors educational programs

that engage pastors and musicians in

conversation about liturgy and song.

The Kemp Church Music Symposium

was held on Saturday, October 7. “Roll

Down Justice – Sacred Songs and Social

Justice” was the theme of the symposi-

um and featured guest clinician Mark

Miller, as well as breakout sessions of-

fered by Kathy Ridl, and Westminster

Choir College faculty Kathy Shaw and

Tom Shelton.

Mark Miller is associate professor of

Church Music and composer-in-

residence at Drew University in Madison

NJ, and is a lecturer in Sacred Music at

Yale University. He is also the Minister of

Music of Christ Church (UCC) in Summit,

New Jersey. A renowned composer of

sacred music, Mark’s hymns and an-

thems are sung by communities of faith

throughout the country every Sunday

and are published by Choristers Guild,

Hinshaw, Abingdon Press, Santa Barbara

Music Publishing and others. Miller

spends a portion of the year traveling the

country, often with his band ‘Subject to

Change,’ lecturing, preaching and pre-

senting concerts focused on creating

community and advocating for social

justice.

There was a wide array of offerings for

the day, including the following sessions:

Choir & Congregational Music for To-

day’s World; Playing Off the Page: Lead-

ing Songs in Non-Western Styles; Lead-

ing in Worship: Repertoire for Children’s

and Youth Choirs; Handbells – Ringing

the Message; and Making Art, Making a

Difference!

The late Helen Kemp always ended the

Church Music Symposium with a Hymn

Festival. Keeping with this important

tradition, Mark Miller designed a beauti-

ful service focusing on social justice to

end our time together.

THE KEMP CHURCH MUSIC SYMPOSIUM


This fall marks the 4th anniversary of the

Neighborhood Children’s Choir! The past

three years, we have partnered with the

Family YMCA of Princeton to offer this

enrichment activity to the Princeton

Young Achievers. There were 28 stu-

dents (grades 3 – 5) in the choir this fall.

Our Fall “Informance” was held on No-

vember 21 at the Arts Council of Prince-

ton. The “Informance” format allows us

to educate parents and guests on the

musical concepts we have been learning

over the course of the semester as we

perform our repertoire. This session we

demonstrated Dalcroze activities for

steady beat and note val-

ues; the warm-up process;

body solfege; rounds and

canons; as well as our

repertoire.

Professor Tom Shelton

serves as the coordinator

and conductor of this choir

and is assisted by three

Westminster Choir College

students: Morgan Luttig

(Music Education Graduate Student),

Megan Coiley (Sacred Music), and Yas-

min Siglam (Music Education).

Trinidad Rodriguez, YMCA Education and

Outreach Director, and Susan Carrera,

site coordinator for the Pannell Learning

Center, work directly with us to offer this

program.

A special thanks to Dean Marshall

Onofrio for supporting this worthwhile

collaboration!

NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN’S CHOIR


By Diane Caruso

former member of the

Board of Directors of RSCM America

Over 100 choristers from 12 choirs gath-

ered on the campus of Westminster

Choir College on Saturday, October 21 to

experience a wonderful one-day Treble

Festival co-sponsored by the Royal

School of Church Music in America and

Westminster Choir College’s Department

of Sacred Music. This is the first time we

have collaborated in this way with the

College since we made the campus the

RSCMA Office home. As both an alumna

of Westminster Choir College and retired

member of the Board of Directors of the

RSCMA, I personally was thrilled to see

so many gather under this joint umbrella

to make music together.

The day’s musical leader was Dr. Anton

Armstrong, the conductor of the St. Olaf

Choir as well as the Harry R. and Thora

H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf

College of Northfield, MN. He very capa-

bly, firmly, and kindly led the choristers

in a full day of rehearsals with a variety

of music chosen for an ecumenical Ser-

vice of Vespers. We learned not only the

notes, entrances and cutoffs, but also

the three levels of Ugly (or how not to

sing!), elegant singing, and respecting

the music. The choristers, who came

from varied backgrounds and traditions,

responded enthusiastically and musical-

ly, resulting in a high standard of singing

in the Vespers Service in Bristol Chapel

later that afternoon.

Because the service of Vespers is em-

braced by many Christian denominations

and traditions, we deemed it to be the

best choice for this festival. We success-

fully incorporated the anthems chosen

by Dr. Armstrong into the framework of

traditional vespers, which went as

smoothly as we hoped it would. We wel-

comed Janet Kemp to play the flute dur-

ing the service, and took up an offering

to support future festivals, half of which

we donated to hurricane relief in Puerto

Rico. Bristol Chapel was filled with con-

gregation and choir, making a joyful

sound to the Lord!

It was a pleasure to be able, along with

Board Director Ned Perwo, to represent

the RSCMA to new groups of people who

are new to its work. On behalf of RSCMA

and our president Bert Landman I would

like to thank Tom Shelton, Steve Pilking-

ton, and Dean Marshall Onofrio of WCC

for envisioning with RSCMA and support-

ing this first joint festival. Thanks also go

to Dr. Armstrong, who made conducting

this first effort seem so effortless!

Special thanks go to Kevin Radtke, for

his work in putting so many details to-

gether to enable this first festival to hap-

pen, and to his successor Brian Sengda-

la, for completing the rest of the details

this fall. We sincerely hope that our first

collaboration won’t be our last, and that

it will only grow!

INAUGURAL RSCM AND WESTMINSTER CHOIR

COLLEGE CHORISTER FESTIVAL


Rachel Tyler

Q: What degree will

you earn at Westmin-

ster and when will

you graduate?

A: I will be graduating

with a Bachelor of

Music in Sacred Mu-

sic, voice primary.

Q: Where are you now? What are you

doing for that church?

A: I am currently serving at Prince of

Peace Lutheran as the Sacred Music

Intern, on a rotating basis, I conduct the

adult choir, the bell choir, as well cantor.

Q: How did you get onto this path of dis-

cernment?

A: I found myself attending the Episcopal

Church at Princeton the first week of my

undergraduate studies here at Westmin-

ster - I loved the choral tradition and I

saw a lot of connections between my

musical studies at school and the choral

literature we were doing at ECP. Through

my ministry as a pastoral musician, I

found a distilled call to ordained ministry,

and so I am answering the call, God will-

ing, to the Episcopal priesthood.

Q: How did the Sacred Music department

prepare you for your current journey?

A: I’ve learned how to interact with

church musicians of all varieties, to grow

in learning, and be self-sufficient. I’ve

done a lot of exploration, in my faith as

well as my ministry. The Sacred Music

Department allowed me to have a plat-

form with which to execute those ideas.

Q: What attracted you to Westminster

initially?

A: I was attracted to Westminster be-

cause of a teacher I had, he was an old

voice technician and he spoke very high-

ly of the campus; the sacred ground that

it sat on. I didn’t listen to him at first, but

I came around, and he was right.

Q: Why would you recommend Westmin-

ster to a young musician?

A: I would recommend Westminster to

someone who wants to live in an area

that promotes learning of a variety of

subjects. Westminster demands vulnera-

bility, growth, and passion of its stu-

dents, and that encourages a very rich

educational background.

Q: What is one of your favorite memories

of the department?

A: One of my favorite memories would be

the commissioning service at the end of

each academic year. It is a special ser-

vice in the way that we get to send off

those that we have come to know and

love - a final chance to worship with your

classmates before they begin their jour-

neys beyond the red bricks of Bristol

Chapel.

Tak Kin Ho M.M. ’16

Q: What degree did

you earn at West-

minster and when

did you graduate?

A: I graduated in

2016 with a Master

of Music in Sacred

Music and a Choral

Studies emphasis.



A: Currently, I am a student at the Prince-

ton Theological Seminary, in the Master

of Divinity degree program (2016-2019).


cernment?

A: My musical training as an undergradu-

ate, seven years of business experience,

and a full year training in Christian Stud-

ies led me to my dream job in my home

church in 2009. While working as the

director of Music Ministry in North Point

Methodist Church in Hong Kong, I

learned that music is never an independ-

ent activity in the church. It needs to be

in a context - integrated into theology

and complicated life situations. I, there-

fore, came to Princeton in 2014 and

planned to invest five years (two-year

Master of Music and three-year Master

of Divinity) for further education in theol-

ogy and church music. I believe that

Princeton, New Jersey is the perfect

place for my further education. The diver-

sity of religious community, and vast and

rich resources in Westminster Choir Col-

lege, Princeton Theological Seminary,

and Princeton University for academic

research in church history, religious mu-

sic and ethnic studies, help me to reflect

on how to place music and art in differ-

ent context, and how music and art

could respond to the need of the world.



A: I think Westminster Choir College has

a strong traditional insight, expertise,

and skill in interpreting European church

music. Courses such as Choral Litera-

ture, History of Sacred Music, and Theol-

ogy, Liturgy, and Worship provided me

the language to communicate with the

clergy in church. Voice Science and Cho-

ral Conducting gave me the professional

tools in helping music ensembles, the

choirs, and contemporary worship sing-

ers to lead the worship efficiently. Wor-

ship Planning in the 21st Century, and

Sacred Music Lab allowed me to be crea-

tive in designing worship services and

integrating what I learned. Introduction

to Musicology, and Music Theory/History

electives empowered me to have a criti-

cal thinking in doing my own research in

the future. Master Singers and Symphon-

continued on page 10

INTERVIEWS


ic Choir prepared me to be a true profes-

sional musician whether it is in the

church or outside the church.


initially?

A: Besides the profound knowledge and

insight in choral music, Westminster

gave me the great opportunity to perform

with world-class symphonic orchestras in

Princeton, New York City, and Philadelph-

ia. Professors from different back-

grounds with different faiths and experi-

ences demonstrated different styles and

philosophies in making choral music. Of

course, the location of the Princeton

campus, midway between New York City

and Philadelphia, and the resources

around the Princeton area definitely at-

tracted me to Westminster Choir College.


of the department?

A: There are lots of good memories in

Westminster with the Sacred Music De-

partment. My favorite is the final gather-

ing of the Sacred Music Lab towards the

end of the academic year. Professors

Shelton and Pilkington prepared dinner

for all the Sacred Music students and

served us during the dinner. We prayed

together and blessed those who would

graduate in May/August. Then we had a

simple service and worshipped our Lord

together. I remember in 2016, when

friends and professors laid their hands

on me, blessed me, and sent me. I rec-

onciled with all my stress and mixed

feelings for the past two academic years.

I know that I was, I am, and I will be

loved and supported by my friends in

Westminster.

Kristian C. “K.C.” Kohler,

B.M. ’13

Q: What degree did

you earn at Westmin-

ster and when did

you graduate?

A: I earned a Bache-

lor of Music, summa

cum laude, in Music

Education and Sa-

cred Music (double major) in May 2013.



A: In July, I completed a year as vicar of

Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Santa

Monica, Ca., and pastoral intern for

SoCal Lutherans (Reconciling Works of

Southern California).

As an approved candidate for ordination

to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in

the Evangelical Lutheran Church in

America, I am currently serving as a sup-

ply pastor in the Northeastern Pennsylva-

nia Synod, and have been assigned to

the New England Synod to seek a first

call.


cernment?

A: After graduating from Westminster, I

attended Yale University’s Divinity School

and Institute of Sacred Music. My origi-

nal plan was to concentrate in liturgical

studies and then to pursue a Ph.D. How-

ever, I found I enjoyed my coursework in

theology, preaching, and pastoral care

more than I initially thought I would. I

decided to switch to the Master of Divini-

ty program and graduated in 2016 with

certificates in both Lutheran Studies and

Sacred Music, Worship, and the Arts. I

always enjoyed the pastoral aspects of

music ministry, and in ministerial studies

I found the perfect combination of aca-

demics, creativity, and service.



A: I could not have had better prepara-

tion for my current journey than from the

Sacred Music department at Westmin-

ster. As a musician, it prepared me to

perform in multiple ensembles, as well

as plan and execute worship and music

in a variety of settings. Historical and

theological background from courses

taught by Dr. Pilkington gave me the nec-

essary foundation to be successful in

graduate-level study of liturgy, sacred

music, and related fields. Profs. Tom

Shelton and Kathy Ebling Shaw men-

tored me through the practical experi-

ences of fostering community within en-

sembles and serving a congregation that

prepared me to be a minister. And that is

just the beginning! I think back often on

my preparation at Westminster in sacred

music, music education, voice, and

more.


initially?

A: I was attracted to Westminster largely

due to the presence of both Sacred Mu-

sic and Music Education programs, as

well as the performance opportunities

and small, close-knit community. I was

also attracted by its partnerships and

opportunities to take advantage of re-

sources at Princeton Theological Semi-

nary and Princeton University.

Q: Why would you recommend Westmin-

ster to a young musician?

A: I would, without reservation, recom-

mend Westminster to any young musi-

cian for a variety of reasons. First, the

skills developed at Westminster will pre-

pare you to think critically, perform with

excellence, and make a difference in the

world no matter what path you follow

professionally. Second, your friends and

mentors at Westminster will turn into a


INTERVIEWS continued from page 9


family. And finally, there is simply noth-

ing like the magic of singing together

that you will experience at Westminster!


of the department?

A: One of my favorite memories from the

department is ringing in the Westminster

Concert Bell Choir, including performing

with Josh Groban at the 2010 Rockefel-

ler Center Christmas Tree Lighting in

New York City (you can find us on

YouTube), and our yearly tours. Ringing

always brought me joy. Another favorite

memory is the end of the year banquet

for the department with delicious food

prepared by Dr. Pilkington. He chose

verses from Scripture for each of us, and

the department commissioned the grad-

uating students to go forth in service to

the world. The verse chosen for me was

Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD, your God, is

in your midst, a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness, he

will renew you in his love; he will exult

over you with loud singing … ”

May God continue to rejoice over West-

minster with singing, for many years to

come.

INTERVIEWS

By The Reverend Erika L. Takacs, SCP

Associate Rector

Saint Mark’s Church, Philadelphia

Music has always been a central part of

my life. It is how I found my voice, how I

learned about beauty, and how – ulti-

mately – I rediscovered God and un-

earthed an unanticipated call to ministry.

I’ve always been involved in music. I en-

tered college at West Chester University

in Pennsylvania fully convinced that I

wanted to become a high school band

director like some of my most important

musical mentors had been. But my soph-

omore year at West Chester found me in

the elite Concert Choir, singing with the

music school’s newest faculty member,

Donald Nally. His passion for the art of

choral music and his conviction that the

act of singing in a choir – breathing to-

gether and listening to one another and

trying to hear the distant voice of the

composer – could, in fact, change the

world, was beyond inspiring. Within six

months I had changed my focus from

band to choir, and I never looked back.

After graduation from WCU, I eventually

found myself at Donald’s alma mater,

Westminster Choir College in Princeton,

N.J. I was studying choral conducting,

learning from some of the true giants in

the field, including Nancianne Parella,

Andrew Megill, and Joseph Flummerfelt.

All of these artists helped me to learn

how to craft a choral sound – how to be

open and present to the choir, how to be

both completely transparent and yet ut-

terly present, how to

listen, and how to be

true to myself and to

the music itself. And, of

course, I continued to

learn the riches of the

choral repertoire, in-

cluding the works by

your friend and mine,

Johann Sebastian Bach.

It was at Westminster

that I really fell in love

with Bach – where I

sang my first cantatas

and Passions, where I learned to hone

my own singing technique to accommo-

date Bach’s particular and challenging

style, and where I began to gain an ap-

preciation (intellectual and aesthetic) for

the immense genius of the man. I stud-

ied with Robin Leaver, sang with some of

the finest Bach singers I know, and let

the music – and the friendships – shape

my life.

It was this experience of music – this

profound experience of music and life

and love – that led me ultimately (and

unexpectedly) to the priesthood. While I

was engaged in this profound music

making at West Chester and Westmin-

ster, I was not really a church-goer at

all… When I was 17 years old, my mother

discovered a lump in

her breast. She attempt-

ed to “get her healing”

through the practices of

Christian Science, giving

up her work, her social

and family life, and even

eventually her home in

order to focus on prayer

and study. It did not

work. One month after

my 20th birthday, my

mother died. My world

was shattered. I did not

know who I was, what I was supposed to

believe or do, and I certainly did not

know who God was or what His plans

were for me. I was bitter, angry, and con-

fused. My entire family and I left the

church, and I spent the next several

years trying to convince myself that there

was not a God, or, if there were, that I

was certainly better off without Him in

my life.

Music became my healing balm. Music

helped me to see beauty, love, purpose

FROM THE PODIUM TO THE PULPIT:

HOW ONE CHORAL CONDUCTOR WAS CALLED TO THE PRIESTHOOD



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

James Jordan, conducting

Joe Miller, director of choral activities

Alan Morrison, organ

Jason Roberts, organ

Steve Pilkington, sacred music

Tom T. Shelton, Jr., sacred music

Kathleen Ebling Shaw, handbells

Vinroy D. Brown, Jr., Jubilee Singers

Brian V. Sengdala, coordinator

CONDUCTING, ORGAN, AND SACRED MUSIC

DEPARTMENT


in life. Music connected me to friends,

family, to a sense of the transcendent.

And for a while, it seemed as if that

would be enough. But when I was prepar-

ing my graduate conducting recital dur-

ing my second year at Westminster, all of

that changed. I had a spectacularly frus-

trating rehearsal. I couldn’t breathe, I

couldn’t hear, I couldn’t connect to the

music. I felt like an abject failure. I left

the rehearsal in tears and ended up sit-

ting in the dark stacks of the perfor-

mance library with my conducting men-

tor, sobbing and beating myself up. “How

do you do it?” I cried. “When the music

just isn’t there – when you can’t connect

and you can’t open yourself up to the

presence of the choir – how do you

change things? How do you change your-

self?” And my mentor – a man for whom

I had deep respect and affection but who

had never shared any of his spiritual life

with me – looked at me and with great

love said, “Well, it’s in moments like that

that I learn a lot about Grace.” Crack.

Light, breath, air. Something in me broke

open in that moment and it has never

shut again. I realized that I did not, in

fact, need only music in my life. I needed

God. But I had no idea who He was, and

so I set about to find Him. At first I found

Him in the sound of the wind in the

trees. I found Him in my belief that I liked

the idea of a world with a God in it much,

much better than a world empty of God.

And – much to my delight – I continued

to find Him (surprising me, peeking out

at me around the chords) in music.

It was this music (and God working

through that music) that brought me to

the Episcopal Church. I was hired to sing

at Saint Mark’s Church in Philadelphia

as part of a professional choir with my

old friend Donald (now “Dr. Nally”) as the

choirmaster. What started out as a nor-

mal “church job” quickly turned into

something far more. I began to worship

(or to try to), and I realized that I wanted

more of this – of this liturgy, of this

church, of this God. I spoke to the priest,

the Reverend Richard Alton, who encour-

aged me to enter into a time of intention-

al study, prayer, and discernment along

with others in the Saint Mark’s communi-

ty. The following spring, at the Easter

Vigil (the midnight service the night be-

fore Easter), I was baptized in depths of

the marble font at the back of Saint

Mark’s amidst the mysteries of darkness

and chant and smoke and the swirling of

the Holy Ghost. A few weeks later, I was

confirmed by the bishop; two years later,

I heard a (very quiet) call to something

new. I entered into a discernment pro-

cess for the ordained ministry and began

to move along the path towards semi-

nary and the priesthood. Music gave me

back my faith, my God, and opened up

an utterly unexpected vocation.

I love what I do as an Episcopal priest. It

feels right – it feels like me, like me do-

ing what I’m supposed to be doing. Try-

ing to maintain a life as a professional

singer along with my work as a priest has

never held much of an interest for me.

But what I am interested in doing – what

I absolutely love doing – is teaching my

congregation about classical choral mu-

sic. I love holding up a piece like Han-

del’s Messiah or the Britten War Requi-

em – or the Bach St. John Passion – and

saying, “Listen to this! This is the most

beautiful music you’re ever going to

hear. Let me help you hear it. Handel or

Britten or Bach was the most inspired

composer you’re ever going to meet. Let

me help to show you why. And, most im-

portantly, let me show you where God is

in this. Let me show you the divine peek-

ing out around the chords. Let me help

you see that this music can be a way – a

unique, important, world- and life-

changing way – for you to find God.

That’s what I’m going to ‘do with my mu-

sic.’ That is why me. And to God only be

the glory.”

FROM THE PODIUM TO THE PULPIT continued from page 11

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