Westminster Chapel Choir

Founded in 1949, the Westminster Chapel Choir takes its name from Westminster’s rich history of leadership in the field of sacred music.  The ensemble has evolved over the years, and today its repertoire includes both sacred and secular works.  Composed of students in their first year of study at Westminster Choir College, this ensemble is a defining choral experience that remains with Westminster alumni throughout their lives.

Recent seasons have included performances of Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms with the Westminster Conservatory Youth Chorale, as well as concerts in Newtown, Pa. and Wilton, Conn.  In addition to on-campus performances throughout the year, the Westminster Chapel Choir has toured extensively along the eastern United States with great success.

The Westminster Chapel Choir has also performed with many symphony orchestras, including the Trenton Symphony Orchestra (N.J.), the York Symphony (Pa.) and the Queens Symphony (N.Y.).  At the request of Leopold Stokowski, the ensemble premiered Universal Prayer by Polish composer Adrezej Panufnik.  It was heard by millions when it sang for the annual televised Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Rockefeller Center.  Previous performances have also included participation in Princeton University’s “Opera and Society” Conference, where it was the featured chorus for the conference and a chapel service honoring the centennial of world-renowned organist and teacher Alexander McCurdy, Jr.

The ensemble has also been honored to give several world premiere performances of works by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlan, Stefan Young, Ronald Hemmel and Philip Orr.