Westminster Choir College
| Westminster Choir College | |
| Missing image Westminster_shield.png Westminster Choir College Coat of Arms | |
| Motto | Spectemur agendo (Let us be judged by our deeds) |
| Established | 1926 |
| School type | Private |
| President | Mordechai Rozanski |
| Location | Princeton, New Jersey, USA |
| Campus | Suburban, 23 acres (93,000 m²) (Princeton Borough and Township) |
| Enrollment | 335 undergraduate, 91 graduate |
| Faculty | 1,103 |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
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| Homepage | westminster.rider.edu |
Westminster Choir College of Rider University is a professional college of music with a unique choral emphasis that educates men and women at the undergraduate and graduate levels for music leadership careers in churches, schools and performance. Professional training in musical skills with an emphasis on performance is complemented by studies in the liberal arts in an atmosphere which encourages individuals in their personal and musical growth and nurtures leadership qualities. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, the programs of study are career-oriented and designed to prepare you for careers in music leadership in churches, schools, and communities. You will be trained to achieve technical mastery in your art and have unparalleled access to some of the finest musical centers in New York, Philadelphia and around the world.
History of the College
In the belief that a choir of volunteer singers could be trained to perform on a professional level, John Finley Williamson established the Westminster Choir in 1920 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Dayton, Ohio. The national prominence achieved by this choir and Dr. Williamson's conviction that churches could best be served by dedicated, professionally trained musicians led him to found Westminster Choir School at the Dayton church in 1926. Graduates of the original three-year program were called "ministers of music," a term of reference recognized nationally today.
In 1929 the college moved to Ithaca, New York, and became associated with what is now Ithaca College, where a four-year program leading to the Bachelor of Music degree was instituted. Relocated in Princeton, N.J., in 1932, it added a master's program in 1934 and became known as Westminster Choir College in 1939.
The move to Princeton was motivated by a desire to provide ready access to the great metropolitan centers and orchestras of the eastern seaboard. Since then the Westminster Symphonic Choir has performed hundreds of times and made many recordings with the principal orchestras of New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Atlanta. Conductors of the choir have included Bernstein, Ormandy, Steinberg, Stokowski, Toscanini and Walter, and such contemporary figures as Leinsdorf, Levine, Macal, Masur, Muti, Ozawa, Sawallisch, Shaw, and Wolff.
The institution has expanded in more recent decades by adding programs in music education, performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree. Although it has never had a formal affiliation with any church, its programs draw students from most denominations of the Judeo-Christian heritage. Changes and expansion notwithstanding, the college continues to maintain its original commitment to the church and to choral music.
In 1991, Westminster Choir College affiliated with Rider College in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. In 1992, the College merged with Rider College, later Rider University.
The most famous Alumnus of Westminster Choir College is Anwar Robinson of American Idol, he was a contestant on the fourth season. The most famous conductor to work at Westminster Choir College was Maestro Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt.