Thursday, Nov 30, 2017
Joined by Piffaro, The Renaissance Band, Friday, June 30 and Saturday, July 1.
The Westminster Choir, conducted by Joe Miller, will begin the new year with a series of concerts in seven cities in January. They’ll also present several workshops in area schools.
The program, titled Listen, is centered on Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir, one of the great masterworks of the 20th century’s a cappella repertoire. Described by Martin as a matter between him and God, the mass remained on his desk for 40 years after he completed it in 1926. Since the first performance in the Netherlands in 1962, it has grown in popularity among lovers of fine choral music. The audience will be introduced to another sound world with a performance of György Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna, written in 1966 and made famous in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001 – A Space Odyssey.
The choir will also perform two works with themes of peace written by Westminster composers: Little Lamb by Joel Phillips and Peace Song, composed for the Westminster Choir by Timothy Brent. Other works on the program are by Edward Bairstow, Nilo Alcala and Randall Thompson.
Reflecting on the program’s title, Joe Miller says, “Listening to the human voice has great power to connect people from differing creeds and backgrounds. It allows us to understand in a way that can be difficult to describe. In a time when our society seems to be focused on our differences, I hope that this concert and this music will encourage the audience to take a moment to be still and strengthen our ability to listen.”
Westminster Choir 2018 Tour
Saturday, January 6 7:30 p.m.
The Church of the Covenant
Cleveland, OH
Sunday, January 7 7 p.m.
St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic Church
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Tuesday, January 9 7:30 p.m.
Grace United Methodist Church
Naperville, IL
Thursday, January 11 8 p.m.
Cathedral Basilica of St Louis
St. Louis, MO
Friday, January 12 7:30 p.m.
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, IN
Saturday, January 13 7 p.m.
First Community Church (South Campus)
Columbus, OH
Sunday, January 14 5 p.m.
Calvary Episcopal Church
Pittsburgh, PA
Monday, January 22 7:30 p.m.
Homecoming Concert
Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall
Princeton University
For tour details, go to www.rider.edu/westminsterchoir.