Westminster-to-Go Webcasts Focus on Leading Conductors

The Westminster-to-Go series continues with webcasts focusing on two leading choral conductors: Gary Graden and Elaine Isaacson Brown.

Choral director at St. Jacobs Church in Stockholm, Sweden, Gary Graden has also been on the faculty of Stockholm's Musikgymnasium where he founded and conducted Stockholm's Musikgymnasium's Chamber Choir. Under his direction both choirs have won grand prizes and first prizes in several of Europe's most prestigious competitions in Europe and Sweden.  This webcast was recorded during his residency at Westminster Choir College during the 2010-2011 academic year.  Joined by Westminster Choir College’s Director of Choral Activities Joe Miller, Mr. Graden discussed repertoire, choral sound and performance practice, illustrated with excerpts from his recordings.

The webcast focusing on Elaine Isaacson Brown was produced by WWFM The Classical Network and broadcast on the network’s Sounds Choral program.   A member of the Westminster Choir College Class of 1934, the late Elaine Brown was the founder and conductor of Philadelphia’s renowned Singing City Choir.

Established in 1948, the Choir was born out of the Fellowship House movement, which believed that differences between races, religions, and cultures could be bridged by ordinary people coming together in shared activities. In addition to performances in and around Philadelphia, the Choir traveled to the South during the 1950s and '60s struggle for civil rights, performing before integrated audiences. It has performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, and it has toured in Jordan, Russia, Cuba and Ireland.

Marjorie Herman, host of Sounds Choral, wrote about the broadcast, “Elaine Brown's vision of "Singing City" has been crossing boundaries since she founded it in 1948.”  The program includes vintage recordings from Talbott Library and interviews with Brown’s students, including Westminster faculty member James Jordan.

 Sounds Choral, the program devoted exclusively to the choral art, can be heard on WWFM The Classical Network at 89.1 FM in central New Jersey and online at www.wwfm.org. 

The Westminster-to-Go series focuses on conversations with leading conductors, composers and artists.  They are available for streaming on the Westminster Web site and most can also be downloaded on iTunes.