Westminster Jubilee Singers Concert Program

RIDER UNIVERSITY

Westminster Choir College

Oh, How Can I Keep from Singing?

Westminster Jubilee Singers Vinroy D. Brown, Jr., conductor Sunday, November21, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.

Gill Memorial Chapel, Rider University

Akiko Hosaki, piano Lydia Reifsnyder, graduate assistant conductor with Samar Newsome, piano Isaiah Mason, trumpet Anthony Ware, saxophone Nimrod Speaks, bass Daniel Ware, drums and Westminster Jubilee Singers Alumni & Friends

Program I. arr. Roland M. Carter (b. 1942)

Lift Every Voice and Sing

Marvin Curtis (b. 1951)

Hymn of Consecration

Isaiah Mason, trumpet

Florence B. Price (1887-1953)

Praise the Lord

Diane White-Clayton (b. 1984)

Clap Praise

Allyssa Jurgens, soloist Andrew Chojnacki, spoken word

Oh, How Can I Keep from Singing? arr. Robert Harris (b.1938)

II. Robert Ray (b. 1946)

Gospel Mass III. Credo (I Believe) Jocelyn Alam, soprano Adriana Barnett, mezzo-soprano Samantha Belinski, mezzo-soprano Azhaneet Blackwell, mezzo-soprano

Anita Watkins-Stevens

Still Good

Thomas Whitfield (1954-1992) trans. Brandon Waddles ’16

I Shall Wear A Crown

Richard Smallwood (b. 1948)

Total Praise

Samar Newsome, piano Anthony Ware, saxophone Nimrod Speaks, bass Daniel Ware, drums

PROGRAM NOTES ROLAND M. CARTER is a conductor, composer, and teacher with a career spanning nearly 50 years. He is regarded as one of the leading voices in preserving African-American music, both in his own compositions and through appearances on radio and television shows. Lift Every Voice and Sing was arranged in 1978 and is arguably Carter’s most famous arrangement. The text was written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson as a celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and as a recitation for school children at Jacksonville’s Stanton School.

MARVIN V. CURTIS is noted for writing a choral work for Bill Clinton’s Presidential Inauguration, being the first African-American to do so. He has earned a Bachelor of Music from North Park University in Chicago; Master of Arts from The Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Stockton, California; and a Doctor of Education from The University of the Pacific, as well as graduate studies at Westminster Choir College. Hymn of Consecration is written for SATB choir with piano and a trumpet melody line. The text comes from Psalm 122. This piece was commissioned by Roland Carter for the 1994 Hampton Music Ministers’ Conference, the conference which at its inception received support from Dr. John Finley Williamson and the Westminster Choir, who performed at the conference for many years.

FLORENCE B. PRICE was the first African-American female composer to have a symphony be performed by a major American orchestra, specifically the Chicago Symphony in 1933. Her written work spans from orchestral and choral to solo piano and solo organ. Praise the Lord was composed in February of 1951. Its text comes from Psalm 117.

DIANE L. WHITE is a versatile musician with a doctorate and master’s degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in Missouri. Currently she is the artistic director of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, known for their international influence as classical performers of Negro Spirituals. Clap Praise is Dr. White’s most popular composition to date. The text comes from verses of Psalm 47 and features the choir clapping at various moments in the piece, sometimes all together and also in segments.

ROBERT A. HARRIS is a conductor, choral clinician and adjudicator who has composed music for a number of schools and church organizations. He has also led master classes about conducting internationally, in nations ranging from South Africa and the Republic of China. Oh, How Can I Keep from Singing?, which was written for the Area High School Concert Chorale from Williamsport, Pa. in 1988, is an a cappella piece based on a traditional folk hymn.

ROBERT RAY wrote his Gospel Mass as a result of the growing Black Power movement of the late 70’s. It has been performed with all of its movements, but also with each movement performed independently. The Credo specifically emphasizes

the phrase “I Believe in the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost” as usually repeated during church services.

ANITA WATKINS-STEVENS, a composer and choral director, is the director of worship and arts ministries at New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church based in north St. Louis. While she works primarily in St. Louis, she also travels throughout the United States as a guest choral director. Still Good, written and composed by Watkins-Stevens, reflects that no matter what struggles life brings, God still loves and cares for all of us.

THOMAS WHITFIELD was an American Gospel conductor who was most known as producer for many Gospel albums in the 1980’s, working with such artists as Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Aretha Franklin. BRANDON WADDLES, a previous Jubilee Singers conductor, has transcribed several of Whitfield’s works into the SATB choir format as Whitfield was the subject of Waddles’ dissertation. He continues to compose music, having participated in writing an arrangement of Silent Night for last winter’s “Holidays with Westminster” concert. The text for I Shall Wear a Crown speaks about persevering through hardships and finding solace after having “made it over” to the other side. It is a staple for every Jubilee Singers concert to perform this piece.

RICHARD SMALLWOOD is most known for his continuous success in the Billboard Gospel Charts, with his group, The Richard Smallwood Singers, and through composing for other artists like Destiny’s Child and Whitney Houston.

He has been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and he has earned six Grammy nominations, including Best Soul Gospel Performance. Total Praise is one of Smallwood’s most well-known pieces. Its lyrics cite God as a means of gaining strength and being eternally grateful to Him as a result.

Program notes prepared by Lydia Reifsnyder, graduate assistant conductor

About the Artists WESTMINSTER JUBILEE SINGERS Vinroy D. Brown, Jr., conductor 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 Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts and R. Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses. The ensemble’s 2021-2022 season includes concerts in Lawrenceville, participation in the Evening of Readings and Carols performances in Princeton, a concert at the Bent But Not Broken Choral Festival in Wilmington, Del and a concert celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the Westminster Jubilee Singers.

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 titled 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 has presented joint concerts with the Fisk University Jubilee Singers and the legendary Sweet Honey in the Rock.

WESTMINSTER JUBILEE SINGERS Vinroy D. Brown, Jr., conductor Akiko Hosaki, piano Lydia Reifsnyder, graduate assistant conductor Jocelyn Alam, Randolph NJ Adrianna Barnett, West Grove PA Samantha Belinski, Yardley PA Azhaneet Blackwell, Trenton NJ Andrew Chojnacki, Delran NJ Yusef Collins-Bryant, Philadelphia PA Chelsea Holbrook, Quakertown PA Emily Huber, East Meadow NY Leigh Huber, Bridgewater NJ Allyssa Jurgens, Allentown NJ Benjamin Kirk, Lumberton NJ Rebecca Kirk, Lumberton NJ Anna Matone, Bridgewater NJ Reecha Nakum, Belle Mead NJ Tina Okoye, Stanhope, NJ Lydia Reifsnyder, Mount Desert ME Abbey Ritter, Geneva NY Jenna Sims, Reno NV Destiny Velez, Cherry Hill NJ Olivia Venier, Gardiner NY Orry Walter, Middleburg PA WESTMINSTER JUBILEE SINGERS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS M. Thaddius Banks Maxwell Brey ’21 Roy DeMarco ’21 James Kinzel ’18

VINROY D. BROWN, JR. holds credits in conducting, sacred music and music education. He is a member of the conducting, organ and sacred music faculty at Westminster Choir College, where he conducts the Westminster Jubilee Singers and teaches African American Choral Literature. In addition to his responsibilities at Westminster, he is lecturer of music in the College of Communication & Fine Arts at Loyola Marymount University where he developed coursework related to music and social justice. A church musician, he is director of music & worship arts at Elmwood United Presbyterian Church. Maintaining an active conducting schedule, he is founder and artistic director of Elmwood Concert Singers and is artistic director and conductor of Capital Singers of Trenton.

In recent seasons he has conducted Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G Minor, Fauré’s Requiem in D Minor, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Ellington’s Sacred Concert, Moore’s Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, Powell’s The Cry of Jeremiah, Forrest’s Requiem for the Living and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. Ensembles under his direction have been featured in radio broadcasts at Princeton Theological Seminary, performed at the historic Playhouse at Rodney Square, and members of his ensembles have performed at Carnegie Hall and at the Centennial Convention of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois. This season, he will lead Capital Singers of Trenton in performances of Handel’s Messiah, Dove’s The Passing of the Year and a commissioned work by Richard M. Loatman to commemorate the ensemble’s 15th anniversary. In addition, he will conduct the Westminster Jubilee Singers in a performance of Hall Johnson’s Son of Man as part of the ensemble’s 25th anniversary celebration, as well as local performances and a concert at the Bent But Not Broken Choral Festival in Wilmington, Del. As a clinician, Professor Brown has headlined the Voices United Choir Festival for the New Jersey chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and the Harlem Classical Music Festival. He has presented for the National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association, New Jersey Education Association and for Virginia, Georgia, Illinois and Maryland Music Education Association Conferences. He has lectured at the University of Miami, Millikin University and The College of New Jersey. This academic year, he will lecture at Kutztown University and be a guest artist at Pennsbury High School. In addition, he will present for the New Jersey Education Association, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and he will conduct the Morris Area High School Honor Choir and headline the Newark Academy Choral Festival.

A noted baritone, Brown has sung on concert and opera stages across the country, as both soloist and chorister. Among his most notable engagements were the filming two PBS specials with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. He made his New York Lyric Opera Theatre debut at Carnegie Hall performing scenes from Massenet’s Manon and Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. The

world premiere of David Lang’s The Mile-Long Opera: a biography of 7 o’clock marked his debut with the Mile-Long Opera Company. He will serve as chorus master and assistant conductor for the 2022 world premiere performances of OMAR, a new opera based on the life of Omar Ibn Said composed by Rhiannon Giddens, at the Spoleto Festival USA. Professor Brown holds membership in the National Association for Music Education, National Alliance of Black School Educators, American Choral Directors Association, International Society for Black Musicians, National Collegiate Choral Organization and the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc., for which he is Eastern Region director and chief editor of EMERGENCE: Research & Performance Topics in Black Music, a scholarly publication that will be released in 2022. Brown is also a proud member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, Inc. He holds the Master of Arts in Practical Theology from Regent University and Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music and Music Education from Westminster Choir College.

A collaborative pianist and vocal coach, AKIKO HOSAKI frequently appears with singers, instrumentalists, and conductors in the New York metropolitan area. She is currently an adjunct assistant professor at Westminster Choir College of Rider University and serves as the head of vocal staff accompanists and coordinator.

During summer, she teaches Westminster’s High School Solo Vocal Artist program as music director. Well-known for her “sensitive playing,” she was the assistant to Dalton Baldwin, legendary collaborative pianist, at Académie internationale d’été de Nice, France, from 2013 until his passing in 2019, and was at Mozarteum Sommerakademie in 2017 and 2018. She was invited to give a master class in Hong Kong in 2016 and 2017.

Dr. Hosaki has collaborated with the Princeton Festival Opera, New Jersey State Opera, Opera North, Castleton Festival, American Boychoir, Princeton Girlchoir, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Riverside Symphonia and Garden State Philharmonic, among others. In the instrumental world, she has performed at the World Saxophone Congress XIII, Tubonium2 and 3, and she enjoys collaborating in chamber music concerts. She also frequently performs with solo handbell ringer Hyosang Park, as Duo Grazioso.

A native of Osaka, Japan, Dr. Hosaki holds degrees from Musashino Academia Musicae in Japan, Westminster Choir College, and the University of Minnesota.

RIDER UNIVERSITY’S WESTMINSTER COLLEGE OF THE ARTS is composed of four divisions: Westminster Choir College; the School of Fine and Performing Arts; Westminster Conservatory, the community music school, and Westminster Continuing Education.

Mission Westminster College of the Arts inspires, prepares, and empowers emerging artists through a supportive, immersive, and unique arts community. Our students achieve a high level of artistry and acquire the professional skills to become contemporary leaders who transform local and global communities through humanity, inclusion, and access for all.

Vision Westminster College of the Arts aspires to be a flourishing arts destination for creative students, artists, community members, and industry professionals; a center for public-facing artistic projects supported by faculty and student research; and a catalyst for innovation through the arts.

Westminster Choir College is a four-year music college and graduate school that prepares musicians for careers as leaders in schools, universities, and churches; on concert stages and in professional and community organizations.

Renowned for its tradition of choral excellence, Westminster has become a center of excellence in solo performance as well. The college has three curricular choirs, including the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which has performed and recorded with virtually all of the major orchestras and conductors of our time, and four choirs selected by audition.

Celebrating 95 years of music excellence, Westminster Choir College of Rider University has significantly influenced the cultural life of our nation.

RIDER UNIVERSITY’S COVID-19 POLICY FOR PUBLIC PERFORMANCES Rider University’s Westminster College of the Arts is pleased to return to presenting live performances. The health and well-being of the Rider community remain our top priority, and we have instituted the following policies for live performances in the fall 2021 semester.

Audience Guests at all events who are not current Rider students, faculty or staff will be asked to accept a required assumption of risk agreement when purchasing tickets.

Based on current university policy, masks are required indoors at all times and must be worn for the entirety of the performance.

Performers All students, faculty, and staff involved with a staged production or an ensemble performance are required to test the week before and the week of the dress rehearsal and performance(s). Vaccinated individuals with negative Covid-19 tests are permitted to remove their masks for approved dress rehearsals and performances. If they prefer, they also have the option to wear a mask for the performance.

We look forward to welcoming audiences back to performances on campus and in the community.

Westminster College of the Arts WESTMINSTER CHOIR COLLEGE

2083 Lawrenceville Road Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

R I D E R.E D U/A RT S