CONDUCTING
ORGAN
SACRED MUSIC
Spring 2017
DEAR COLLEAGUES, ALUMNI, AND FRIENDS,
Greetings from the Department of Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music. The
strength and magic of Westminster’s history and tradition have been brought into
full perspective with gravity and passion
during this academic year. The collective
commitment to excellence in teaching,
leadership, and performance continues to
guide our faculty and students as our
community enjoys a busy and successful
spring semester.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Organ Department Celebrates Joan
Lippincott, Announces Events and
Recitals
3
Joan Lippincott ’57, ’61, (hon.) ’01:
A Westminster Legend
5
Where Are You Now? Updates
From Three Recent Alumni
6
Summer Seminars for Ringing
Leadership, Taught by Kathleen
Ebling Shaw ’85
8
Arvo Pärt and the Faith Experience
9
Sacred Music Promotes Lifelong
Singing, from Young Achievers to
Mature Voices
10
RSCM America/Westminster Choir
College Youth Choir Festival
11
Upcoming 2017 Events — Join Us!
12
The Sacred Music Department and Westminster’s Office of Continuing Education
presented the annual Kemp Church Music Symposium this past October, which
involved sessions by Westminster professors Tom Shelton and Dr. Kathy Price as
well as Dr. Michael Kemp, and a hymnsing accompanied by Westminster Organ
professor Daryl Robinson. Prof. Robinson
has earned extensive praise for his collaborative playing in Westminster’s major
performance events, and maintains a
very active schedule as a recitalist and
teacher. He was featured on the recent
Westminster Williamson Voices recording
Carolae: Music for Christmas (James
Whitbourn), conducted by Dr. James Jordan. The Sacred Music and Organ areas
continue to present campus worship services throughout the semester, prepared
by the students and faculty of Sacred
Music Lab and Colloquium. Our fall Community Sing-In, held in Bristol Chapel,
gave our talented Sacred Music graduate
students the opportunity to conduct Haydn’s Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo.
Westminster Jubilee Singers recently
gained a new conductor with the appointment of Mr. Courtney Carey, a graduate of
Morehouse College and Eastman School
of Music. Prof. Tom Shelton is continuing
his important work with the Westminster
Neighborhood Children’s Choir, bringing
music into the lives of Princeton- and
Trenton-area youth, while providing internship experiences for our students. Dr.
Steve Pilkington, associate professor of
Sacred Music, is spearheading the development of exciting new undergraduate
and graduate programs in Sacred Music,
including courses in plainchant and modern music and tracks in adult church
choirs, youth choirs, urban music, and
more. We are creating a new master’s
degree in the Sacred Music track that will
allow church musicians from all over the
world to obtain a degree from Westminster through study online and during the
Guest conductor Gary Thor Wedow welcomes
singers in Chapel Choir and Schola Cantorum
to a rehearsal for Mozart’s Requiem on
February 8, 2017
summer. Our department is also collaborating with Princeton Theological Seminary to teach courses in Sacred Music,
and continues to provide internships to
students in area churches as conductors,
singers, and organists.
The Westminster Symphonic Choir, conducted by Director of Choral Activities Dr.
Joe Miller, gave a magnificent performance of Rachmaninoff’s All Night Vigil,
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
continued on page 2
DEAR COLLEAGUES, ALUMNI, AND FRIENDS
Op. 37, presented through the New York
Philharmonic’s Tchaikovsky Festival this
past February. The performance, sung by
nearly 200 of Westminster’s juniors, seniors, and graduate students, filled the
rafters of the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City. Symphonic Choir is
now preparing Britten’s War Requiem for
performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Charles Dutoit in
March, and will perform Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony with The Philadelphia
Orchestra this May.
Westminster Choir College has established a relationship with The Juilliard
School, a vision of our new dean,
Matthew Shaftel, and our department.
Westminster Chapel Choir (Dr. Amanda
Quist, conductor) and Westminster Schola
Cantorum (Dr. James Jordan, conductor)
collaborated in a performance of Mozart’s
Requiem in D Minor with The Juilliard
School’s orchestra, conducted by Gary
Thor Wedow. This was a new venture for
these ensembles, and provided the opportunity of singing this masterwork in
Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center as well as
bringing the Juilliard students to perform
in the Princeton University Chapel.
Westminster Kantorei, conducted by Dr.
Amanda Quist, will collaborate with Juilliard 415, that school’s early music ensemble, in their joint April concert with a
performance of Buxtehude’s Membra
Jesu Nostri. Kantorei was recently invited
to perform at the Boston Early Music Festival, and completed its first recording in
March. Kantorei embarked on its first
European tour this past summer, performing as an invited choir for the Festival en
l’Île in Paris and touring throughout England. Westminster choral musicologist Dr.
Carolann Buff participated in the tour,
providing students with a deepened understanding of the incredible spaces in
which they performed through lectures
and visits to libraries to see original manuscripts and documents. Dr. Buff is an
Page 2
continued from page 1
invaluable member of the department,
teaching graduate courses in choral literature, performance practice, and more. Her
essay “The Italian Job: Ciconia, Du Fay,
and the Musical Aesthetics of the 15thCentury Italian Motet,” forthcoming in Qui
musicam in se habet: Essays in Honor of
Alejandro Enrique Planchart, explores the
motet genre in the period between the
end of the Middle Ages and the beginning
of the musical Renaissance.
Westminster Choir, conducted by Dr. Joe
Miller, has been invited to represent the
United States in performance at the World
Choral Symposium in Barcelona, Spain in
July 2017. Westminster Williamson Voices, conducted by Dr. James Jordan, recently finished a recording session for
GIA’s Teaching Music through Performance series, and has released additional recordings over the past year. Dr. Jordan was also recently honored with the
distinguished alumni medal from Susquehanna University, and will again lead the
Choral Institute at Oxford with James
Whitbourn and Dr. Steve Pilkington this
July. The Westminster Concert Bell Choir,
conducted by Kathleen Shaw, has a series of performances throughout the
spring semester, and will embark on its
annual tour in May. Westminster Schola
Cantorum toured the Mid-Atlantic U.S. in
March. Westminster Choir just completed
a tour that brought them through Ohio
and the South, and included a performance at the Florida Music Educators’
Association conference. Westminster
Chapel Choir will host its annual High
School Invitational Festival this March,
bringing over 400 high school singers to
the Westminster campus.
We are very proud of our students and
alumni, and are excited to see the growth
and success of the thousands of organists, church leaders, teachers, performers,
and conductors who have come through
Westminster Choir College. This is indeed
a magical place, and we are fed by the
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
strength of our illustrious past as we enthusiastically explore the most effective
ways to continue Westminster’s legacy in
the future. A special thank you to all who
support the work and tradition of Westminster Choir College, the only school of
its kind in the world.
Amanda Quist
Associate Professor of Conducting
Chair of Conducting, Organ, and Sacred
Music
Our recent graduates and current
students are accepting positions and
entering graduate schools throughout
the world:
Nicola Bertoni M.M. ’16 began teaching
in the choral department at Fullerton
College this past year
Matthew Brady M.M. ’15 is finishing a
doctorate at the University of North
Texas, and is studying with London
Symphony Chorus director Simon Halsey
this year
Stephanie Council M.M. ’15 began as
director of choral activities at Mount
Holyoke College this fall
Meaghan King M.M. ’12 will graduate
with a D.M.A. from the University of
Southern California in May
Edward Landin ’12 recently had an anthology of organ works titled Flourishes
and Reflections published by Lorenz
J.J. Mitchell ’17 has been accepted to
the University of Notre Dame’s Master of
Sacred Music program with a full-ride
scholarship and stipend
James Roman ’14, ’16 has been
appointed organist and coordinator of
worship ministries at Grace Presbyterian
Church in Houston, Tex.
Joel Trekell ’17 will be the organ scholar
at Hereford Cathedral in the U.K. beginning in August
ORGAN DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES JOAN LIPPINCOTT,
ANNOUNCES EVENTS AND RECITALS
By Daryl Robinson
This spring, the Organ Department at
Westminster Choir College joins with the
American Guild of Organists in celebrating the 2017 American Guild of Organists Endowment Fund Distinguished Artist Award honoree, Professor Emerita
Joan Lippincott ’57, ’61, (hon.) ’01. A
free recital featuring Mrs. Lippincott
along with Westminster alumni Eric Plutz
’89 and Scott Dettra ’97, ’98 will occur
on Friday, April 21 at 7 p.m. in the
Princeton University Chapel (followed by
a reception—advanced tickets required).
On Monday, April 24, Mrs. Lippincott will
present a master class for current students at Westminster from 3 to 5 p.m. in
Steve Emery ’76 working on
Casavant Op. 3009
Treble pipes cleaned and packaged to be
returned to campus in the coming weeks
Miller Chapel at Princeton Theological
Seminary. For more information, please
visit agohq.org/2017-gala.
In August of 2016, Dayton, Ithaca, and
Princeton residence halls suffered flooding following heavy rains. Scheide Recital Hall in Dayton suffered the most damage, with standing water and mold damaging both the Casavant organ and the
hall itself. Westminster’s organ curators,
Dieffenbach Organs, LLC (formerly Emery Bros.), have removed the organ, and
our superb facilities staff has ensured
the removal of all mold so that the room
will again be safe to inhabit. While the
organ is out for cleaning, we are making
the most of this unique opportunity by
fixing collapsed pipe toes and outdated
wiring. Additionally, the organs in Ithaca
20 and 21 (Holtkamps) and Dayton 8
(Ott) suffered minor water damage, and
continued on page 4
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
Page 3
ORGAN DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES JOAN LIPPINCOTT
their outdated wiring and control systems are being replaced to meet current
electrical codes. We anticipate that each
of these organs will be completely functional, and improved, by the end of the
Spring 2017 semester.
Fall 2016 Organ Events


First Prize: Matthew Smith M.M. ’17,
studio of Daryl Robinson
October 24-25: Dr. Robert Bates
(professor of Organ at the University
of Houston) presented a recital of
early music from France, Germany,
and Spain at Princeton Theological
Seminary and a class on the early
development of the organ in France
November 13: A studio recital featured undergraduate organ majors at
St. Paul Catholic Church, Princeton
Pictured left to right are judges Edward
Landin and Robert McCormick, and winners
Matthew Smith and Jerrick Cavagnaro
As part of winning First Prize, Matthew
will be featured in a solo recital (free and
open to the public) on Thursday, April 20
at 12:30 p.m. at Princeton University
Chapel, featuring works of Franck, Howells, J. S. Bach, and Rachel Laurin. Congratulations to each of our competitors!
Professors Alan Morrison, Daryl Robinson,
Matthew Lewis, and organ students following
the November 13, 2016 studio recital at St.
Paul Catholic Church in Princeton

Spring 2017 Organ Events

February 11: The Organ Department
held the 2017 Joan Lippincott Competition for Excellence in Organ Performance. The judges this year were
two Westminster alumni: Edward
Landin ’12, assistant director of music at Bryn Mawr (Pa.) Presbyterian
Church, and Robert McCormick ’01,
director of music and organist at St.
Mark’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. The results were:
Page 4
Spring 2017 Student Recitals

February 4 at 4 p.m.: Thomas
Heidenreich ’16, ’17 at Princeton
Theological Seminary

March 27 at 12:30 p.m.: Matthew
Smith M.M. ’17 at Marble Collegiate
Church in New York City

April 8 at 1 p.m.: Philip Fillion M.M.
’17 in Bristol Chapel

April 8 at 8:30 p.m.: Matthew Smith
M.M. ’17 in Bristol Chapel

April 14 at 8:30 p.m.: Christopher
Engel M.M. ’17 in Bristol Chapel

April 20 at 12:30 p.m.: Lippincott
Competition winner Matthew Smith
M.M. ’17 in Princeton University
Chapel

April 22 at 4 p.m.: Joel Trekell ’17 in
Princeton University Chapel

April 22 at 7 p.m.: Thomas
Heidenreich ’16, ’17 in Princeton
University Chapel
Second Prize: Jerrick Cavagnaro ’18,
studio of Alan Morrison
Third Prize: Connor Fluharty M.M. ’17,
studio of Daryl Robinson
March 31 and April 1: Catherine
Rodland, artist in residence at St.
Olaf College, will present a recital at 8
p.m. on the evening of March 31 and
a master class for Westminster and
Princeton students from 10 a.m. to
noon on April 1 at Nassau Presbyterian Church of Princeton. Special
thanks to Noel Werner ’90, director of
music at Nassau, for co-sponsoring
this event.

April 24: Master class with Joan Lippincott, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Miller Chapel, Princeton Theological Seminary

July 2-15: Westminster Organ
Institute for High School Organists
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
continued from page 3
Lucas Brown M.M. ’17, Stephen Buzard ’10,
Prof. Daryl Robinson, and James Roman ’14,
’16 at the 2016 American Guild of Organists
National Convention in Houston, Tex.
JOAN LIPPINCOTT ’57, ’61, (HON.) ’01: A WESTMINSTER LEGEND
By Scott Dettra ’97, ’98
When one considers the short list of
great American organ teachers and performers over the past half century, Joan
Lippincott’s name is sure to be among
them. Her teaching career at Westminster Choir College spanned some four
decades, during which time she taught
hundreds of students and influenced
many more through her playing at chapel services, convocations, and commencement ceremonies. She has played
more than 600 recitals in 40 states and
six foreign countries, and her discography includes more than 20 solo recordings. Her influence on organ playing and
church music in this country is vast, and
her legacy lives on in the careers of the
many Westminster students who were
privileged to study with her.
A student of the legendary Alexander
McCurdy, she earned two degrees from
Westminster Choir College and the
Artist’s Diploma from the Curtis Institute
of Music. Dr. McCurdy appointed her to
Westminster’s organ faculty in 1960—
a year before she earned her master’s
degree from the Choir College in 1961.
She had already emerged as one of
McCurdy’s star students, and was well
on her way to establishing a reputation
as both a master teacher and performer.
When McCurdy retired from Westminster
in 1965, she was named chair of the
Organ Department (the largest in the
world at the time), a position she held
for the next 30 years. A skilled administrator, she hit the ground running, establishing various new programs, most notably a series of summer organ institutes—including one for high school students that continues to this day—and a
series of European organ study tours,
16 of which were undertaken between
1969 and 1992. In addition, she developed innovative curricula and appointed
many distinguished faculty members. All
of this work brought new levels of scholarship to Westminster’s Organ and Sacred Music programs, and benefitted an
entire generation of students, to whom
she was tirelessly devoted.
As if this weren’t enough to keep her
plate full, she performed extensively,
playing about a dozen recitals each year
on average, many of them paired with a
master class. She began to make commercial recordings in 1980, building a
large discography
that continues to
grow. Although
performing and
recording required
frequent travel
away from campus, she always
remained an active and highly
respected member of the faculty.
Members of the Organ department with Organ scholarship donors at the
annual scholarship luncheon
Throughout her
career, she has
been considered
an authority particularly on the
music of Bach.
Joan Lippincott dancing with Scott Dettra at
his wedding
Indeed, her recordings for the past 20
years have focused entirely on Bach’s
music. To this day, her former students
involuntarily think of “pearls” whenever
they sit down to play Bach’s music, as
her teaching is so ingrained in our musical fiber. Although she will be most remembered for her playing of Bach, it is
important to note her virtuosity in a
wide range of music; Liszt, Alain, Duruflé, and Widor immediately come to
mind, but she was also a champion of
new music, particularly that of Daniel
Pinkham.
Perhaps more important than her many
achievements outlined above is the
human example of service that she set
for all those who follow in her footsteps.
Her affectionate demeanor and infectious enthusiasm inspired an entire generation of students who are proud to
refer to themselves as “Lippincott kids.”
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
Page 5
WHERE ARE YOU NOW? Updates From Three Recent Alumni
Liza Calisesi Maidens ’12
M.M. Sacred Music
with a Choral Conducting concentration
Where are you now?
My husband Joel and
I moved to metro Detroit in 2015 after
five great years in Princeton. I am on the
choral faculty at Eastern Michigan University, where I direct the University
Women’s Choir and EMU Express (a vocal jazz ensemble). I am also the director of music and organist at St. John’s
Episcopal Church in Plymouth, and I am
the assistant conductor of the Detroit
Concert Choir. I sing professionally with
Sounding Light, a chamber ensemble
under the direction of Tom Trenney.
How did the Sacred Music Department
prepare you for your current roles?
Westminster instilled a level of musicianship and confidence to teach a vast
amount of repertoire efficiently, effectively, and authentically to who I am as a
person. This semester, on any given
week, I’m prepping the Women’s Choir
for Beethoven 9, grooving to an arrangement of I’ve Got You Under My Skin with
EMU Express, pointing psalms and rehearsing music anywhere from Mozart
to William Billings to André Thomas for
church, and learning a varied amount of
repertoire for the ensembles in which I
sing. My Westminster education afforded me the skills to learn and teach all of
this music in a passionate, successful,
and meaningful way for each of my ensembles.
What attracted you to Westminster
initially?
Mark Babcock ’93 is the director of choral activities and is on the organ faculty
Page 6
at Central College in Pella, Iowa where I
received my undergraduate degree. He
spoke highly of his experience at Westminster and encouraged me to audition.
Likewise, I played in an organ master
class led by [former Westminster professor] Ken Cowan in Des Moines and I
was further inspired to visit and audition. It wasn’t until my campus visit
when I stepped into the historic Playhouse for Symphonic Choir that I knew
such a remarkable choral sound existed. It was unforgettable and contagious!
Why would you recommend Westminster to a young musician?
There is truly no place like Westminster.
I’ve been granted opportunities that I
never dreamed were possible because
of my Westminster education. Westminster helps you unearth your highest level
of music making and discover who you
are as a musician and how you might
enrich others’ lives through music. With
its choral tradition, Princeton location,
esteemed faculty, lifelong friends and
colleagues, and profound performance
opportunities, it’s an institution with a
truly inimitable reputation.
What is one of your favorite memories
of the Sacred Music Department?
Tuesday evening Seminar [Sacred Music Lab/Colloquium] with Dr. Pilkington.
In Seminar, I further developed my respect and passion for crafting meaningful, artful liturgy. Each week was different; each week was significant towards
my growth and understanding of what it
means to be a minister of music. In
Seminar I began to fully understand
Westminster’s mission—Service Through
Music—and how I might translate that
into my career path.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one
of my favorite choral performances! It
was an honor to be a part of Westmin-
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
ster’s first choral performance with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia
Orchestra. We performed Brahms’ Ein
deutsches Requiem in a way I had never experienced in choral music. From
the rehearsals with Dr. Joe Miller to the
performance in Philadelphia, it was one
of the most pivotal and fulfilling opportunities of my career as a young musician.
Stephen Buzard ’10
B.M. Organ
Performance
Where are you now?
I am director of music at St. James Cathedral, the Episcopal cathedral for the
Diocese of Chicago. I
am also a concert organist on the Karen
McFarlane Artists roster. At St. James, I
conduct the Cathedral Choir, a semiprofessional choir of adults that sings a
repertoire inspired by the English Cathedral tradition but with an American flavor. This choir sings primarily at the 11
a.m. service and for occasional Choral
Evensongs. I also provide the music for
a family-friendly congregational service
at 9 a.m. in which we incorporate a variety of musical styles. I am new to St.
James this year, and one task for which
I was called is to establish a chorister
program for children in grades 3 to 8.
This program will begin in the fall and
will bring a great deal of diversity and
energy to our musical offerings here. In
my other life as a concert organist, I am
on the road from time to time to play
organ concerts and give workshops. I
love having the chance to engage with
new audiences and other organs around
the country.
continued on page 7
WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
How did the Organ Department prepare
you for your current roles?
My organ training with Ken Cowan was
second-to-none. He is a brilliant teacher
and a nurturing, compassionate human
being. He gave so freely of his time, and
his training has been the foundation of
my technical and artistic approach to
playing. The diversity of the educational
experience at Westminster prepared me
to be the whole musician. While many
organ programs focus solely on playing,
the training I received in private voice,
conducting, and choral singing as part
of the Organ curriculum has proven
invaluable.
What attracted you to Westminster
initially?
I came to Westminster both to study with
Ken and to work with Tom Whittemore at
Trinity Church, Princeton. My experience
as an organ scholar at Trinity was perhaps just as beneficial and formative as
my degree program at Westminster, and
it was where I learned the “nuts and
bolts” of running an intergenerational
music program in the Episcopal ilk. In
fact, Tom Whittemore introduced me to
Ken and encouraged me to consider the
Choir College after I sang and played for
him at an RSCM summer training course
as a high schooler.
Why would you recommend Westminster
to a young musician?
Westminster gives aspiring church musicians the tools they need to be successful and confident in the field. Alan Morrison and Daryl Robinson have continued
the excellent level of private instruction.
The choral and vocal experience, so often
neglected by organists, gives Choir College graduates a leg-up and informs the
entirety of their music-making. Princeton
is rich with opportunities for professional
experience like the organ scholar pro-
continued from page 6
gram at Trinity, and the proximity to New
York and Philadelphia gives students exposure to great instruments and great
artistry.
What is one of your favorite memories of
the Organ Department?
The first memory that comes to mind is a
very silly one. Christmas my freshman
year, Santa Claus came to the Student
Center, and my fellow freshman organ
students and I managed to coerce Ken
Cowan into being in a group photo with
Santa. Not only did we plaster the practice rooms with the picture, but we got it
published in the March 2007 issue of
The American Organist magazine!
Trey Davis ’10
M.M. Choral
Conducting
Where are you now?
I am assistant professor and associate director of Choral Studies at Louisiana State
University. I conduct
the Tiger Glee Club and Women’s Chorale, teach the undergraduate course sequence of choral literature and conducting, co-teach the course sequence of
graduate choral literature and conducting, and mentor graduate recitals. I also
recently started a professional choral ensemble in Baton Rouge named Red Shift.
Colleagues from around the country join
singers from the area for concert projects
throughout the year.
How did the Conducting Department prepare you for your current roles?
It would be difficult to encapsulate all of
the knowledge, techniques, and experience I gained at Westminster into a paragraph! Much of the conducting and choral
pedagogy that I utilize on a daily basis
was developed and nurtured at Westminster through study with Dr. James Jordan,
Dr. Andrew Megill ’89, and Dr. Joe Miller.
I certainly learned efficiency of rehearsal
technique, the development of choral
tone, and a host of other skills through
the singing and recital opportunities in
Westminster Master Singers. The generous opportunity to present a recital with
Westminster Symphonic Choir was also a
formative moment in my growth as a conductor-teacher. Courses in choral literature and performance practice are surely
invaluable, foundational, and comprehensive sources of my own teaching,
and they also ensured that I was fully
prepared for doctoral study; moreover,
through conducting courses and private
lessons, I was fortunate to develop and
refine gesture and score study principles,
much of which I regularly share with my
students. Finally, my opportunity to sing
as a member of some of the greatest
collegiate choral ensembles in the nation
opened my eyes to new levels of excellence as a singer and collaborative
musician.
What attracted you to Westminster
initially?
I was immediately drawn to Westminster’s renown as a “choir college” that
collaborates regularly with the leading
orchestras of the world, and I attended a
concert presented by the Westminster
Choir while they were on tour in Austin,
Tex.; the performance was outstanding,
and Dr. Miller’s warm greeting and genuine interest in me when I introduced myself afterwards further encouraged me to
audition. Additionally, I was very much
interested in spending two years of study
in the ideal location of Princeton with two
thriving urban centers an hour away, full
of opportunities for sacred music and vocal performance.
continued on page 8
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
Page 7
WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
Why would you recommend Westminster to a young musician?
I do frequently recommend Westminster
to young musicians, and I always underline the fact that an education from
Westminster is unlike any other on the
planet. Students are immersed in the
choral arts all day, every day, including
many weekends. Nowhere else can a
student expect to perform multiple masterworks with symphonies from all over
the world at a level that meets and surpasses other professional choral ensem-
continued from page 7
bles; Westminster choirs do not rehearse or perform like “student ensembles,” though at the same time, valuable
teaching and growth certainly happen
daily. For students interested in the
M.M. in Choral Conducting degree, I also
champion the fact that there is no
D.M.A. program at Westminster, thus
ensuring that M.M. students are offered
the chance to serve as assistant conductors to ensembles, present multiple
recitals, and study privately for multiple
semesters, all of which are rarities at
schools with large doctoral programs.
What is one of your favorite memories of
the Conducting Department?
It is so difficult to choose just one—so I
will list three! Singing Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion with Kantorei and Dr. Andrew Megill. Spending two summers in
Charleston, S.C. at the Spoleto Festival
USA with Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt, Dr. Joe
Miller, and Dr. Megill. Rehearsing Barber’s Reincarnations with Dr. Flummerfelt in my first-ever autumn on the East
Coast, with the leaves falling outside
and golden afternoon sunlight flooding
into Bristol Chapel.
SUMMER SEMINARS FOR RINGING LEADERSHIP,
TAUGHT BY KATHLEEN EBLING SHAW ’85
Creating a Successful Handchime
Ensemble—June 26-28, 2017
This hands-on class is perfect for the
teacher or director who is interested in
starting or revitalizing a ringing program
using handchimes. This course will include information on understanding the
handchime instrument and equipment
necessary for a program, ringing and
damping techniques, special ringing
techniques and articulations, ringing
multiple handchimes and making changes, coordination drills, understanding
the handchime score and making assignments/markings, rehearsal plans,
choosing appropriate repertoire for
handchimes, and issues in musicality.
Using Handchimes in the Classroom
and Rehearsal—June 28-30, 2017
Let the Children Ring! This hands-on
session will explore the use of handchimes in the general music classroom
and/or singing choir rehearsal. With the
use of folk songs, a variety of methods
will be explored that will enable children
to ring melodies and play chordal and
Page 8
ostinato accompaniments, as well as
perform free improvisations while singing. Concepts for readers and nonreaders alike will be presented. Sample
lesson plans will be provided. Participants will also learn how to develop
their own resources to allow their students to create, perform, respond, and
connect with their audiences.
Foundations in Ringing – Building
a Successful Handbell Program—July
17-21, 2017
This hands-on class is perfect for the
director or ringer who is interested in
starting or revitalizing a handbell program. This course will include information on understanding the handbell
instrument and equipment necessary
for a program, ringing and damping
techniques, special ringing techniques
and articulations, ringing multiple bells
and making changes, coordination drills,
understanding the handbell score and
making assignments/markings, handling bass bells, rehearsal plans, choosing appropriate repertoire, and issues in
musicality.
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
Handbells: Musicality Through
Performance—July 23-27, 2017
This session is ideal for intermediate
ringers who want an intensive ringing
experience or directors who want to gain
skills in ringing as well as improve their
handbell leadership by gaining rehearsal
techniques. Registrants will begin rehearsals on Sunday evening and continue Monday through Thursday. The week
will culminate with the group performing
a Thursday evening concert with a variety of repertoire that will have been studied over the week. Emphasis will be given to achieving the highest degree of
musicality from the handbell score—
ringing techniques, assignments, structure, texture, balance, dynamics, phrasing, rhythm, and pulse.
To register for these seminars, and to
learn more about our summer choral
conducting courses, organ and voice
institutes, and other programs for
adults, high schoolers, and middle
schoolers, visit rider.edu/woce
ARVO PÄRT AND THE FAITH EXPERIENCE
By Dr. Nicholas Reeves ’03
The Westminster Williamson Voices performance of the Kanon Pokajanen on
November 19, 2016 left me in a conflicted state, fluctuating between anxiety
and contrition. These contradictory feelings, though not unusual to have after
listening to the music of Arvo Pärt, dealt
with more than the concert. An entire
span of emotions was experienced in
less than 80 minutes that evening, but
the road leading to that jarring moment
was borne out of years of search and
reflection.
My first steps on this road began at
Westminster Choir College as early as
1999, during the fall semester of my
freshman year. When a friend learned
that I was Eastern Orthodox, he inquired
if I had ever heard the music of Arvo
Pärt and soon thereafter dropped off a
copy of the album Litany. While listening
in my Seabrook dormitory room to this
Baltic music with its austerity, subdued
hues, and apparent lack of drama, I was
not immediately able to hear its appeal.
Unconvinced at first, but still curious
about this composer’s musical intentions, I attended a concert of Passio at
Trinity Church in Princeton and—to my
surprise—felt the effect of the textsetting, scoring, and dramaturgy: I had
reached a state of catharsis through the
music only after I had given it a chance—
by listening in faith.
After my studies concluded, both at
Westminster and Manhattan School of
Music, I found myself instructing future
leaders in the music tradition of the Orthodox Church at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox
Theological Seminary. It was there in
2011 that a senior colleague, Peter
Bouteneff, and I wondered how to engage the most performed composer in
the world, Arvo Pärt—also a practicing
Orthodox Christian. What was so alluring
about his music, known for not being
opulent or flashy but nevertheless re-
maining in the greatest demand, was at
the heart of our initial interest. From this
basic inquiry the Arvo Pärt Project
(arvopartproject.com)
was born to explicate
through concerts, lectures, and publications
the spiritual underpinnings of Pärt’s music.
and yes the choir sang beautifully well,
but I experienced something more than
delight after it was all over.
The Project led to many
fruitful events, including a seminal performance in 2014 at Carnegie Hall at which
Westminster professor
Dr. James Jordan was
in attendance. After
Westminster Williamson Voices conducted by James Jordan at the
many attempts at a
Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Temple of Dendur
Westminster/Arvo Pärt
Project collaboration, the Project faciliMy journey to that concert took half my
tated an invitation by the Metropolitan
life to reach, which concluded not in a
Museum of Art to the Westminster Wilresolution of sound, but a profound caliamson Voices. Their task was to pertharsis of the soul. It took a leap of faith
form in the fall of 2016 Pärt’s Kanon
to pursue this event—faith in the choir,
Pokajanen, a work of intense spiritual
the audience, the College, and the Met
content and taxing vocal demands.
Museum, who in turn were putting their
Bouteneff and I were invited to help infaith in the Project. It is hard to describe
troduce the choir into the aesthetics of
what was gained, and more importantly
Pärt’s music, the Orthodox Church, and
lost, when I heard the Kanon, and it was
the concept of repentance.
exactly this paring of opposites that I
experienced all those years ago when
On the night of the concert I kept secret
hearing the Passio for the first time; I
a faint hint of doubt as to how the choir
just couldn’t articulate it then: Pärt’s
would sing such a daunting work and
music leads us to an ineffable space of
how the audience would respond. To my
openness confronting our doubts by
delight, the evening was filled with much
faith. My doubts in the concert were not
adulation from the audience, consisting
negated by faith, but on the contrary
of alumni, benefactors, faculty, and
enriched as the choir beautifully reafproud parents, together with the New
firmed in their moving concluding
York cultural corps d’elite. As they all
phrases that Pärt’s music is a mirror for
witnessed the final chords of this masself-reflection, not an object of desire.
terpiece, the performance garnered noThere is much more that can be written
thing but praise. My experience, howeand shared, and so we hope that Wilver, was mixed with myriad emotions.
liamson Voices will continue to partner
Unlike many in the audience who took
with the Arvo Pärt Project, together artictheir seats as quickly as they left, my
ulating and shedding light on a world of
seat was taken after nearly 17 years,
sonorities—not confined by our impulstarting at the Princeton campus and
sive reactions to this music, but through
ending at the Met’s Temple of Dendur;
faith, letting it guide us.
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
Page 9
SACRED MUSIC PROMOTES LIFELONG SINGING,
FROM YOUNG ACHIEVERS TO MATURE VOICES
By Tom Shelton
Kemp Church Music Symposium
Westminster Neighborhood
Children’s Choir
The Kemp Church Music Symposium
was held on Saturday, October 8, 2016,
to great success! Attendance was high
and there was a great energy in the
room. The theme focused on lifelong
singing. Michael Kemp presented two
sessions: Rejuvenating Senior Voices
The Westminster Neighborhood Children’s Choir, sponsored by the Sacred
Music Department in collaboration with
the Princeton Family YMCA, is now in its
third year.
Prof. Tom
Shelton and
student interns from
Westminster
Choir College
work with the
Princeton
Young AchievMembers of the
ers afterschool
group on MonWestminster Neighbordays from
hood Children’s Choir
4:30 to 5:15
p.m. at the Pannell Learning Center.
Interns for the fall semester were Daegeun Ha ’17 (Sacred Music graduate
student), and Music Education undergraduate students Julia Henry, Maggie
Kaetzel, and Lauren Sander. Interns for
the spring semester are Maggie Kaetzel
and Megan Anderson. There are approximately 20 singers, grades 3 to 5, in this
choir. We sing together, play musical
games, and develop music reading
skills. At the end of our time together,
we present an “Informance” in Bristol
Chapel for parents and other attendees.
The Informance gives the singers an
opportunity to inform the audience
about musical concepts we have been
working on over the semester. We
demonstrate these concepts and then
apply them to the repertoire for the performance. Our spring Informance will be
Monday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. in Bristol
Chapel. Please join us for this wonderful
musical experience!
Page 10
daughter) led a hymn festival with the
theme “A Song Throughout the
Day.” Prof. Daryl Robinson’s playing, on
both the organ and piano, was inspired.
Sacred Music students were highly involved, serving as conductors, soloists,
and instrumentalists. It was a beautiful
way to end the day.
The 2017 Kemp Church Music Symposium is already being planned for Saturday, October 7. The theme will be
“Social Justice” and will feature guest
clinician and composer Mark A. Miller. Mark Miller
Dr. Kathy Price on
teaches at both
working with aging
Yale and Drew universities and has
voices
had many compositions published. His
latest compilation,
Roll Down, Justice! Sacred Songs
and Social Justice,
is available from
Choristers Guild.
Church Music
Exchange
and Surefire Recruiting for Church
Choirs; Dr. Kathy Price presented a session called Working with Aging Voices:
How to Preserve, Protect, and Improve
Mature Singing Voices; and Prof. Tom
Shelton led a music reading session for
adult church choirs. Prof. Shelton was
assisted by five Sacred Music graduate
students: Paul Georgeson ’17, Lucy
Hole ’18, Colton Martin ’17, Jacob Nelson ’17, and Alexander Rosa ’18. These
students conducted pieces on the reading session and served as soloists
throughout.
The late Helen Kemp ’41 ended each
annual Symposium with a hymn festival.
In keeping with this important tradition,
Prof. Shelton and Kathy Ridl (Helen’s
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
The Sacred Music Department’s Church
Music Exchange was held on Friday,
January 13, 2017. Church musicians
from the surrounding area and current
Sacred Music students gathered together for this annual morning of fellowship
and renewal. The Exchange began with
a beautiful Morning Prayer service,
planned and led by Sacred Music professor Dr. Steve Pilkington. After the
service, attendees were invited to attend one of two break-out sessions—
Mark Loria ’15 (M.M. Sacred Music)
presented an overview of Sue Ellen
Page’s Glory to God: Hymns and Songs
for Children and Families, and Dr. Kathy
Price presented a session on working
with aging voices. The morning concluded with time for sharing and discussion.
Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter
Page 11
UPCOMING 2017 EVENTS — JOIN US!
March 23-25
Westminster Symphonic Choir with The Philadelphia Orchestra: Britten’s
War Requiem (8 p.m.; 2 p.m. on March 24, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia)
March 24
Westminster Chapel Choir: High School Invitational Festival (Hillman Hall)
March 24
Westminster Schola Cantorum: Tour Homecoming Concert (8 p.m., Bristol
Chapel)
Department of Conducting,
Organ, and Sacred Music
101 Walnut Lane
Princeton, NJ 08540
March 30
Sacred Music: Community Worship Service (11:30 a.m., Bristol Chapel)
March 31
Organ: Recital by Catherine Rodland, artist in residence at St. Olaf College
(8 p.m., Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton)
April 1
Organ: Master class with Catherine Rodland, artist in residence at St. Olaf
College (10 a.m., Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton)
609-921-7100
rider.edu/wcc
April 21
Organ: AGO Recital and Gala Benefit Reception honoring Joan Lippincott
(7 p.m., Princeton University Chapel)
April 21-22
Westminster Choir with Bang on a Can All-Stars: Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite
Fields (8 p.m., Roebling Wire Works, Trenton)
April 22
Westminster Concert Bell Choir: Water Music (5 p.m., Liberty Corner
Presbyterian Church, Liberty Corner, N.J.)
April 23
Westminster Chapel Choir: Spring Concert (3 p.m., Bristol Chapel)
April 23
Westminster Williamson Voices: The Great Beyond, celebrating Dr. James
Jordan’s 25th year at Westminster Choir College and the fifth year of
The Choral Institute at Oxford (7:30 p.m., Princeton Abbey)
April 24
Organ: Master class with Professor Emerita Joan Lippincott (3 p.m., Miller
Chapel, Princeton Theological Seminary)
April 24
Sacred Music: Westminster Neighborhood Children’s Choir Informance
(7 p.m., Bristol Chapel)
April 29
Westminster Concert Bell Choir: Water Music (3 p.m., Bristol Chapel)
April 29
Westminster Kantorei: Spring Concert (8 p.m., Bristol Chapel)
April 30
Westminster Jubilee Singers: Spring Concert (7:30 p.m., Bristol Chapel)
May 3-6, 9
Westminster Symphonic Choir with The New York Philharmonic:
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw
(7:30 p.m.; 8 p.m. on May 5 and 6, David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center,
New York City)
May 14-27
Westminster Concert Bell Choir: 2017 Tour, performing in New England
and the Great Lakes region (see rider.edu/wcc for details)
CONDUCTING, ORGAN,
AND SACRED MUSIC
DEPARTMENT
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
June 26-July 27 Summer Seminars in Handbell Leadership (see Page 8 for details)
July 2-15
Westminster Organ Institute and Vocal Institute for high school students
(see rider.edu/woce for details)
July 4-13
Choral Institute at Oxford (see rider.edu/oxford for details)
October 7
Kemp Church Music Symposium, featuring guest clinician and composer
Mark A. Miller (Bristol Chapel)
October 21
Westminster/RSCM America Youth Choir Festival, conducted by
Dr. Anton Armstrong (Bristol Chapel)
Daryl Robinson, organ
Steve Pilkington, sacred music
Tom T. Shelton, Jr., sacred music
Kathleen Ebling Shaw, handbells
Courtney Carey, Jubilee Singers
Kevin Radtke, coordinator
Subscribe to Westminster’s weekly performance e-newsletter at rider.edu/arts
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Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Newsletter