1920 | Westminster Choir was established by John Finley Williamson at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton, Ohio. |
1926 | The Westminster Choir School was founded. |
1928 | Westminster Choir and the Cincinnati Symphony made the nation’s first coast-to-coast radio broadcast, aired over Station WLW. |
1929 | Westminster Choir College was established and moved to Ithaca College. |
1932 | Westminster Choir College moved to Princeton, N.J. |
1934 | As the first official American guests of the Soviet Union, with whom the United States had just resumed diplomatic relations, Westminster Choir made the first broadcast from Russia to the United States. |
1938 | Westminster Choir, with conductor and founder Dr. John Finley Williamson, presented the first U.S. performance of Joseph Haydn’s Passion (The Seven Last Words). The performance also featured a volunteer orchestra of Princetonians, including Albert Einstein in the violin section. # The Choir sang at the dedication of the New York World’s Fair. |
1939 | Westminster Choir sang for the first time with the New York Philharmonic. Since then, it has set a record for the number of joint performances – more than 350 - by a single choir and orchestra. |
1957 | Westminster Choir completed a five-month, globe-circling tour under the auspices of the U.S. State Department’s Cultural Exchange Program. The tour was the longest goodwill tour ever made under that program. The Choir performed in 22 countries, traveled 40,000 miles and appeared before 227,000 people. |
1964 | Westminster Choir sang on the Telstar World-Wide Telecast in the spring for the opening ceremonies of the New York World’s Fair. This reportedly was the largest audience ever to see a television show at that time. |
1965 | For the first time the Choir appeared with three major orchestras in one year: the Berlin Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. |
1966 | The Choir appeared for the first time in New York’s Philharmonic Hall singing Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the New York Philharmonic. |
1970 | An annual series was instituted featuring the National Symphony and the Westminster Choir, performing in Washington, D.C., and New York. The Choir performed the world premiere of Panufnik’s Universal Prayer at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York and recorded Dave Brubeck’s The Gates of Justice on Decca with conductor Erich Kunzel. |
1971 | Westminster Choir performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during the inaugural week of concerts with the Piedmont Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Nicholas Harsanyi. The work performed was The Dawn of Glory by Christian Latrobe. |
1972 | Westminster Choir performed and recorded the American premiere of Messiaen’s The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center. This concert marked the Choir’s debut with Maestro Antal Dorati. # The Choir began its first summer as the chorus-in-residence for the Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of Two Worlds) in Spoleto, Italy, at the invitation of Gian Carlo Menotti. |
1975 | Westminster Choir premiered William Schuman’s Casey at the Bat with the National Symphony Orchestra. |
1977 | Westminster Choir became the first chorus-in-residence at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. in Charleston, S.C., at the invitation of Gian Carlo Menotti. |
1978 | Westminster Choir established its own recording label, copyrighted “Westminster Choir,” and released its first recording: Six Motets of Johann Sebastian Bach, with guest conductor Wilhelm Ehmann. |
1980 | Westminster Choir was the first choir to be featured on the “Live from Lincoln Center” telecast series over National Public Television. The Choir performed Verdi’s Requiem with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta. |
1982 | Westminster Choir was part of the 10,000th performance of the New York Philharmonic, America’s oldest permanent orchestra. |
1988 | Westminster Choir sang Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the New York Philharmonic under the composer’s direction in a performance at Carnegie Hall celebrating the 45th anniversary of Bernstein’s conducting debut with the orchestra. |
1990 | Westminster Choir performed the world premiere of Menotti’s Salve Regina in Spoleto, Italy. # Westminster Symphonic Choir sang in the Leonard Bernstein memorial concert at the invitation of the Bernstein family. |
1991 | Westminster Symphonic Choir performed at Carnegie Hall’s 100th Anniversary Celebration. |
1992 | Westminster Choir College merged with Rider College (now Rider University). Westminster Symphonic Choir performed in “A Tribute to Riccardo Muti” with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Maestro Muti, a performance televised nationally on the Arts & Entertainment Cable Network. |
1993 | Westminster Choir performed the world premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s A Time to Dance with the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra at the American Choral Directors Association’s national convention. # Conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch, Westminster Symphonic Choir participated in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s first performance of Britten’s War Requiem. |
1996 | Westminster Choir, conducted by Joseph Flummerfelt, traveled on a concert tour of Korea and Taiwan and performed in the Colmar Music Festival in Colmar, France |
1999 | Westminster Symphonic Choir performed the world premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Oltra Mar, 7 Preludes for the New Millennium with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Kurt Masur. |
2001 | Westminster Choir and the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Joseph Flummerfelt, performed the world premiere of Stephen Paulus’ Voices of Light, commissioned by Rider University to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of Westminster Choir College. |
2002 | To commemorate the events of September 11, 2001, Westminster Choir was featured in the PRI national radio broadcast of “In the Shadow of the Towers.” They were joined by President George W. Bush and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Westminster Symphonic Choir’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem with the New Jersey Symphony was broadcast nationally by PBS. |
2004 | Westminster Choir premiered Arise My Love by Stephen Paulus, a gift from the composer to celebrate Joseph Flummerfelt’s extraordinary career. # Westminster’s artistic director, Joseph Flummerfelt, was named Musical America’s 2004 Conductor of the Year, the first choral conductor to be so honored. |
2005 | Westminster Symphonic Choir performed Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloë (complete) for the first time with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Lorin Maazel. |
2006 | Westminster Symphonic Choir participated in the New York Philharmonic’s first performance of Mozart’s Mass in C, K. 317 “Coronation,” conducted by Lorin Maazel. # Joe Miller was appointed Director of Choral Activities. |
2007 | Rider University established Westminster College of the Arts. Westminster Symphonic Choir opened the Carnegie Hall season performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, conducted by David Robertson. Rider University's Westminster College of the Arts was established, composed of Westminster Choir College, the School of Fine and Performing Arts and Westminster Conservatory. |
2008 | Westminster Symphonic Choir performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Gilbert Kaplan, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the work’s American premiere. |
2009 |
Flower of Beauty, Westminster Choir's first full recording with Joe Miller, was released. American Record Guide describes the Choir as "the gold standard for American academic choirs." |
2011 | Westminster Symphonic Choir performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra for the first time under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. |
2012 | Westminster Symphonic Choir performed with Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra for the first time. |
2014 | Westminster Williamson Voices' and James Jordan's recording of James Whitbourn's Annelies, the first major choral setting of The Diary of Anne Frank, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance. |
2015 | Westminster Symphonic Choir performed Leonard Bernstein's Mass: A Theater Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers for the first time with The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. |
2016 | Westminster Kantorei performed in France and England. Westminster Williamson Voices performed Arvo Pärt's Kanon Pokajanen at the Metropolitan Museum's Temple of Dendur. |
2017 | Westminster Kantorei's first solo recording - Lumina - was released on the Westminster Choir College label. Westminster Choir represented the United States at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona. |
2020 | Westminster’s next chapter: This historic moment marks the first time the Choir College will be fully integrated within the University’s main campus since Rider and Westminster merged in 1992. |