Westminster Focuses on Music for the Modern Church on October 29

Westminster Choir College will present two special events focusing on music for the modern church on Saturday, October 29.

Saturday Seminar
NOTE: THIS CONCERT IS SOLD OUT
The day will begin with a Saturday Seminar entitled “Music for the Modern Church.”  The seminar, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will include lectures, panel discussions and interactive sessions focusing on such topics as Contemporary Trends in Sacred Music, Adult Choir Rehearsal Techniques and Creative Ways of Making Worship.  A highlight will be an interactive session with Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström. One of Sweden’s most performed living composers, Sandström has an impressive catalog of works that includes some 300 compositions, ranging from operas and oratorios to intimate choral and chamber music.  In recent years, he has been focusing especially on sacred choral music.

Other faculty participating in the seminar are Westminster Choir College faculty members Ken Cowan, Taione Martinez, Andrew Megill, Steve Pilkington, and Kathleen Ebling Shaw.

Cost for the Saturday Seminar, which is presented by Westminster’s Office of Continuing Education, is $110.  To register online go to www.rider.edu/woce or call 609-924-7416.

Concert
Also on Saturday, October 29, Westminster Choir College will present a concert entitled A New Song in Our Hearts: Sacred Music for the 21st Century at 8 p.m. in Bristol Chapel on the Westminster campus in Princeton.

The concert will feature Westminster Kantorei, conducted by Andrew Megill; Christ Church Choir, conducted by Steve Pilkington, and Westminster Chapel Choir, conducted by Amanda Quist. The program will include three world premieres: O magnum mysterium by Daniel Elder, Hodie Christus natus est by Blake Henson and God Be Merciful by Sven-David Sandström.

The Sandström work was commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria and the Sacred Music Department of Westminster, is a six-minute a cappella choral piece based on Psalm 67.  It is the third release in Soli Deo Gloria’s Psalms Project, which includes commissioning a series of choral works based on Psalm texts, suitable for fine church choirs. The composers selected for commissions represent a broad geographical and denominational scope with a mixture of established and younger composers who demonstrate a commitment to the highest musical standards.

Admission to the performance is $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 609-921-2663.