Joining Hearts, Joining Voices: A Choral Celebration

Join us for a collaborative concert with the Westminster Choir and visiting guest choir, Gondwana Chorale: The National Youth Choir of Australia and the New York City Children's Chorus. 

Admission is free for this event and seating is general admission. No reservations required.

Meet the Choirs

Westminster Choir

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“The Gold standard...”- American Record Guide

Setting the standard for choral excellence since 1920, when it was founded by John Finley Williamson in Dayton, Ohio, the Westminster Choir is composed of undergraduate and graduate students at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. From well before millions first heard the choir in Walt Disney’s Fantasia with Leopold Stokowski conducting, the choir has thrilled audiences around the world and in American concert halls with its singularly unique sound and artistry. The legendary conductor Joseph Flummerfelt led the ensemble from 1971-2004, bringing it to a new level of exposure and renown.

The Westminster Choir has toured extensively, holding residencies at Il Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, Spoleto USA, in Charleston, SC, the Festival International de Colmar in France, and numerous appearances in Asia and all across the United States. 

Westminster Choir has been recording choral masterworks for nine decades. Recordings by Flummerfelt of Brahms, American Folk Songs, and Christmas music have been audiophile favorites for decades. 

Praised by The New York Times for its “full-bodied, incisive singing,” Westminster Choir is hailed as one of the nation’s finest choral ensembles. Singing in this world-renowned choir is at the core of the only choral college in the world. For graduate students in choral conducting, it is the central experience which has molded generations of conductors. Music-Making and compelling artistry at the highest levels are the hallmark of this 100-year musical legacy.

This season, The Westminster Choir is conducted by Visiting Professor in Choral Studies, Donald Nally, known especially for his work in opera and as America’s leading commissioner of new works for choir. 

Gondwana Chorale – Australia’s national youth choir

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Australia’s national youth choir, Gondwana Chorale, was established in 2008. Its members come from throughout Australia and range in age from 17 – 26. They perform music that is close to their hearts: new Australian works which capture the mystery and grandeur of our land and display the cultural diversity of the Australian people. The work of the choir is a powerful expression of the determination of young Australians to work together to create extraordinary musical ensembles.

The sound of Gondwana Chorale is vibrant and energetic, indicative of their intensive rehearsal process and the joy of being together. The choir has performed nationally in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Tasmania. International tours have included New Zealand (2011 & 2023) and UK and France (2013). In 2015 the choir formed the Gondwana Centenary Chorale with young singers from Turkey, France and New Zealand to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign, giving the world premiere of James Ledger’s War Music with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

In 2017 Gondwana Chorale toured the USA for the first time, collaborating and performing with host choirs USC Chamber Singers, Redlands Chapel Singers, Stanford Chamber Chorale, Temple University Concert Choir and Boston City Singers. In 2019, the choir toured to England, presenting a recital in the Chapel of Trinity College Cambridge and to the Baltic States, collaborating with E Stuudio in Estonia, Koris Maska in Riga and Choras Ažuoliukas in Vilnius. In 2022, the choir appeared at Festival of Voices in Hobart to present a program of Australian works.

New York City Children's Chorus

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The New York City Children’s Chorus is a graded choral program for 200 children in the metropolitan NYC area who receive training in the art of singing in a rigorous and rewarding choral environment. Founded in 2012 by Mary Huff, the New York City Children’s Chorus (NYCCC) enables choristers, through hard work and dedication, to develop a passionate commitment to excellence through the choral art, to learn discipline and self-confidence, and to give back to their community through the gift of music. Highlights of the 2024-25 season include Vaughan Williams’ Hodie with the Saint Andrew Music Chorale and Orchestra, performances at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and St. John the Divine, and collaborations with Westminster Choir College and the Gondwana Choir from Sydney, Australia.

In 2021, the NYCCC won The American Prize’s Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music for their recording of Randall Thompson’s “The Place of the Blest,” the first recording of the chamber orchestra version of this masterwork for treble voices. In addition to winning this top award, their album, Christmas in New York, won 3rd place for the American Prize in Choral Performance. The 2023-24 season included performances of Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the Saint Andrew Chorale and Orchestra and a world premiere of composer David Briggs’ transcription of Vaughan Williams’ Hodie for organ and chamber ensemble. The season concluded with a concert tour of Paris and Normandy in June and July 2024, including a July 4th performance at La Madeleine in Paris celebrating the friendship between the US and France.

In 2015, NYCCC choristers made their European concert debut while on tour to Austria and Germany at the Votivkirke in Vienna, Melk Abbey, and Salzburg Cathedral. The NYCCC made its Broadway debut in The Man Who Came to Dinner with Nathan Lane at Roundabout Theatre. The advanced performing ensembles have graced the stages of New York’s most prestigious venues including Carnegie, Hall, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and Town Hall. 

In previous seasons, the NYCCC has performed Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Duruflé’s Requiem, Benjamin Britten’s Saint Nicolas, Fauré’s Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ Sancta Civitas, and they have shared the stage with the American Classical Orchestra, the Monica Barnes Dance Company, and toured France, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Boston, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Philadelphia and Nashville. Television appearances include Saturday Night Live, Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Apple TV’s City on Fire, NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC Sports, and FOX. The Choir’s first album, Simple Gifts, a collection of American and British Art songs from the 20th Century, was released by MSR Classics in the fall of 2015. Fanfare Magazine wrote, “The recording is outstanding … the achievement is, even more importantly, artistic. This is a heart-warming program of charming but substantial material.” Please visit www.nycchildrenschorus.org for more information.