Sound of music alive at Westminster Choir College

Mercer Business, Oct 01, 1997

Autumn is always an exciting time on a college campus. Refreshed after summer break, students and faculty return to their studies with vigor and an exhilarating sense of renewal fills the air.

The start of this year was especially exciting at Westminster Choir College of Rider University where Erdman Hall, one of the most important and visible buildings on campus, reopened after being closed for nine years. A residence hall for 54 years and one of the Choir College's four original buildings, Erdman Hall has been reborn as the home of the Presser Music Center at Erdman Hall.

Funded by generous grants from The Presser Foundation and the State of New Jersey and gifts from individuals, this $1.5 million project has resulted in a beautiful Georgian-style brick building that holds studios, classrooms and Westminster's state-of-the-art piano lab and Voice Lab for Vocal Pedagogy.

Walking through the airy and elegant hallways, it's hard to believe a year ago this was a vacant building languishing behind empty windows and locked doors. Closed in 1988 with the hope that funding could be found to improve its deteriorating condition, Erdman Hall came to represent the financial difficulties that led Westminster to merge with Rider University in 1992.

"When we learned of Westminster's problems, our Board looked at a truly unique program that plays an important role in our nation' s cultural life and determined that it should continue to exist," recalls Rider University President J. Barton Luedeke. "Rider has made a major commitment to strengthening Westminster's program and to maintaining its campus in Princeton. While it hasn't been without its challenges and difficult moments, the merger has worked. The renovation of Erdman Hall is just one example its success."

Tucked into a picturesque 23-acre corner of Princeton, Westminster Choir College of Rider University has been acclaimed in many of the world's cultural centers, where its Westminster Choir regularly performs. At the same time, the Choir College, as it is known locally, is regarded by some as one of Mercer County's best-kept secrets. In fact, even local music lovers who attend concerts or study here, probably know little about Westminster' s origins and how it came to Princeton.

Before there was a college, there was a choir. The Westminster Choir was founded by John Finley Williamson at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920. A pioneer in choral music in America, Williamson believed that virtually all amateurs could be trained to sing in a choir and that they would bring more meaning and a new dimension to worship. The Westminster Choir exemplified this concept. Responding to requests from other churches to establish similar choirs, in 1926 Williamson established the Westminster Choir School to train church music directors, or ministers of music, who could bring the Westminster method to other congregations.

Three years later Williamson's program came to the attention of Ithaca College, and he accepted an invitation to move his program there and to become dean of its music conservatory. In 1932, Williamson moved his school again--this time to Princeton--at the invitation of Dr. Charles Erdman, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, and some influential donors who offered him property in Princeton Borough and funding to build the campus.

In 1934 the new Westminster campus, centered around four Georgian-style style brick buildings designed by Shirley Morgan, head of Princeton University's architecture department, opened at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Walnut Lane. To celebrate the occasion, Leopold Stokowski brought The Philadelphia Orchestra to Princeton to perform Bach's Mass in B Minor with the Westminster Choir in Princeton University's Chapel. This was the beginning of Westminster's long relationship with the "Fabulous Philadelphians" and many of the nation's leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony.

Virtually every great conductor of the era has been to the Westminster campus to prepare for orchestral performances. Stories abound about many of these visits. Older alumni still recall Dr. and Mrs. Williamson, both teetotalers, trying to decide whether to serve wine to Arturo Toscanini when he dined in their home after a rehearsal. The maestro was not disappointed--neither with the choir nor with the dinner.

Working with such renowned conductors and orchestras is an experience shared by all Westminster graduates since all students spend at least one year as a member of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which performs with orchestras several times each year. Westminster is the only college in the world that can guarantee students such an opportunity.

Choral music is at the heart of Westminster's program, and all students sing in at least one choir each year. In addition to the 175-voice Westminster Symphonic Choir which performs with orchestras, the college has six choral ensembles. The 40-voice Westminster Choir serves each summer as the chorus-in-residence at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. in Charleston, S.C. It also records and tours regularly. Last year it presented concerts throughout Korea and Taiwan and performed at the Colmar International Music Festival in Princeton's sister city, Colmar, France.