Vinroy D. Brown, Jr., conductor
Akiko Hosaki, accompanist
Maxwell Brey, graduate assistant
Sunday, October 20 at 3 p.m.
Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville
2688 Lawrenceville Rd
Lawrence Township, NJ 08648
Program
Ascribe to the Lord Rosephanye Powel ‘87l (b. 1962)
Lord, We Give Thanks to Thee Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989)
Alleluia, Cantate Domino Marques L.A. Garrett (b.1984)
Hehlehlooyuh James Furman (1937-1989)
O Magnify the Lord Moses Hogan (1957-2003)
Olivia Dixon, soprano
Intermission –
Let Everything That Hath Breath Twinkie Clark (b.1954)
Clap Praise Diane White-Clayton (b.1964)
Jennie Mae Sprouse, soloist Lucas Heredia, speaker
Let Everything That Hath Breath Jeffery L. Ames (b.1969)
Worthy of All the Praise Kevin B. James (b.1964)
About the Artists
WESTMINSTER JUBILEE SINGERS
Composed of students selected by audition, the Westminster Jubilee Singers is modeled after the historically acclaimed Fisk Jubilee Singers. Its repertoire, while specialized and select, is very diverse and focuses on solo and ensemble artistic expressions from its singers. Part of Westminster Choir College’s Sacred Music Department, the ensemble performs literature that includes African-American spirituals and folk songs; classical music by African-American composers; gospel music and secular songs by musical greats such as William Dawson, Duke Ellington, Walter Hawkins, Andraé Crouch, Richard Smallwood, Kirk Franklin and Dr. Nathan Carter, as well as Westminster graduates, Rosephanye Powell, Donald Dillard and M. Roger Holland. Also explored and performed are works by non-African-American composers, including George Gershwin, Alice Parker, Robert Shaw, Robert Page, Gail Poch, Steve Pilkington and others who have composed and/or arranged music of the African-American experience.
In addition to its rich repertoire of African-American spirituals, hymn arrangements and gospel songs, the Westminster Jubilee Singers has performed classical works, such as And They Lynched Him On a Tree by William Grant Still and Shout for Joy and I Will Lift Up My Eyes by Adolphus Hailstork. Highlights of recent seasons include the performance of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts and R. Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses. The ensemble’s 2024-2025 season includes performances in Lawrenceville, Princeton and Trenton, including a performance of Porgy and Bess with the Capital Philharmonic. They will also anchor the Celebration of Black Music in a special performance of works by Rosephanye Powell with the composer at the helm.
Previous seasons have included appearances at the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) in Kansas City and Regional Conference in Baltimore; the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Eastern Regional Convention in Boston; a performance with Denyce Graves at New York’s Apollo Theater to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Children’s Defense Fund; a joint concert entitled Living the Dream with Penn State University’s Essence of Joy ensemble as a tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and its Lincoln Center debut performing in An Evening of Choral Artistry, presented by the American Choral Directors Association. The ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orchestra, under the baton of Skitch Henderson, in a concert version of Porgy and Bess. At the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, Westminster Jubilee Singers presented joint concerts with the Fisk University Jubilee Singers and the legendary Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Vinroy D. Brown, Jr., conductor
Akiko Hosaki, accompanist
Maxwell Brey, graduate assistant conductor
SOPRANO
Cherisse R Bonefont, Lumberton, NJ
Kamany Belcher, Easton, PA
Elizabeth Berger, Sparks, MD
Juli Chiriboga, Huntington, NY
Maya Cooper, Fairfax, VA
Olivia Dixon, Woodbury, NJ
Sarah Febonio, Flemington, NJ
Kaiah Gibson, Austin, MN
Jada Laws, Pine Beach, NJ
Abbey Ritter, Geneva, NY
Sarah Vawdrey, Teaneck, NJ
ALTO
Alyssa M. Lester, Monroe, NJ
Anna Maher, Ipswich, MA
Kianna Mitchner, Groton, CT
Bailey Shay, Matamoras, PA
Jennie Mae Sprouse, Nashville, TN
Jack Tharp, Trenton, NJ
Jasmin Villatoro, Holbrook, NY
Shaye Walker, Old Bridge, NJ
TENOR
Skylar Derthick, Camas, WA
Xavier Desrosiers, Southampton, PA
Samuel Messenger, Bellmawr, NJ
Daniel J. Piver, East Hampton, NY
Ricky Sazon Salazar, Queens, NY
BASS
Zy Bell, Fort Myers, FL
Maxwell Brey, Tallahassee, FL
Kevin Catalon, Fords, NJ
Diego Dominguez, El Paso, TX
Lucas Heredia, East Brunswick, NJ
Alastair Stewart, Quebec, Canada
Weicheng Ying, Shanghai, China
About Rider University & Westminster Choir College
Located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Rider University is a private co-educational, student-centered university that emphasizes purposeful connections between academic study and real-world learning experience. Rider prepares graduates to thrive professionally, to be lifelong independent learners, and to be responsible citizens who embrace diversity, support the common good, and contribute meaningfully to the changing world in which they live and work.
The College of Arts and Sciences is dedicated to educating students for engaged citizenship, career success, and personal growth in a diverse and complex world. The college cultivates intellectual reflection, artistic creativity, and academic maturity by promoting both broad academic inquiry and in-depth disciplinary study, while nurturing effective and ethical applications of transferable critical skills. The College consists of four schools: the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Communication, Media, and Performing Arts, the School of Science, Technology, and Mathematics, and Westminster Choir College.
Culturally vibrant and historically rich, Westminster Choir College has a legacy of preparing students for thriving careers as well-rounded performers and musical leaders on concert stages, in schools, universities, and churches, and in professional and community organizations worldwide. Renowned for its tradition of choral excellence, the college is home to internationally recognized ensembles, including the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which has performed and recorded with virtually all of the major orchestras and conductors of our time. In addition to its choral legacy, Westminster is known as a center for excellence in musical pedagogy and performance.
Upcoming Performances
RENT
Friday, October 25, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 26, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 27, 2 p.m.
Bart Luedeke Center Theater
WESTMINSTER CHAPEL CHOIR: SANCTUARY
Saturday, October 26, 7:30 p.m.
Gill Chapel
NEW MUSIC CONCERT SERIES
Sunday, November 3, 3 p.m.
Gill Chapel
FALL DANCE CONCERT
Friday, November 8, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 9, 7:30 p.m.
Bart Luedeke Center Theater
FALL OPERA: DIE FLEDERMAUS
Friday, November 15, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 16, 7:30 p.m.
Yvonne Theater
RIDER UNIVERSITY CHORALE: YOU DO NOT WALK ALONE
Sunday, November 17, 4 p.m.
Gill Chapel
WESTMINSTER CHOIR: THE NATIONAL ANTHEMS
Sunday, November 24, 5 p.m.
Gill Chapel
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON UPCOMING PERFORMANCES, SUBSCRIPTION AND PATRON PROGRAM OPTIONS, VISIT RIDER.EDU/ARTS.
