New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Rider University's Westminster Choir releases new recording in celebration of 100th year

originally published: 04/19/2024

Photo by Peter Borg/Rider University

(LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ) -- A Serenity of Soul, a new recording by the Westminster Choir that celebrates its 100th year, will be released on May 3, 2024 on the GIA Masterworks label. The recording marks the recording debut of GRAMMY®-nominated Dr. James Jordan as conductor of the Westminster Choir, the seventh since the group's founding in 1920 by John Finley Williamson.

The centerpiece of A Serenity of Soul is the cantata Rejoice in the Lamb by Benjamin Britten, based on the poetry of Christopher Smart.

“All the music on this recording reflects, in sound, that serenity (and, yes, beauty) is within all of us if we choose to go there,” says Jordan, who has been recognized throughout the music world as one of America’s preeminent conductors, recording artists, writers, music psychologists and innovators in choral music.

At Westminster Choir College of Rider University, Jordan is a professor of conducting and director of choral studies, as well as the co-director of The Choral Institute at Oxford. As a former student of Elaine Brown, who also taught Joseph Flummerfelt, Jordan has helped continue the legacy of John Finley Williamson by upholding the standards of performance, traditions and pedagogy of Williamson, Brown and Flummerfelt.

A Serenity of Soul was recorded in Gill Memorial Chapel on Rider’s campus in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and Christ Church in New York City between May 4 and 11, 2023. Comprising 15 tracks, it features Gregory Stout on piano and Mary Dolch on organ.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



The Westminster Choir, now in its 103rd year, has been at the forefront of American choral music since its founding. The choir is composed of students at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Praised by The New York Times for its “full-bodied, incisive singing,” the Westminster Choir also forms the core of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which has performed and recorded with the leading conductors and orchestras of our time.

For the 2023-24 season, the ensemble performed in New York, including at Carnegie Hall, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., as well as local performances on campus and at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville in New Jersey. The recent Carnegie Hall performance included the world premiere of James Whitbourn’s Requiem, orchestrated by John Rutter and commissioned by Westminster.

A Serenity of Soul, produced on the GIA ChoralWorks label, will be distributed by Naxos on all major streaming outlets including Spotify and Apple Music.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here


FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Frisson

Frisson Winds

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 

Candlelight

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Queen and The Beatles

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: music


 

Damn

Damn The Torpedoes - The Music of Tom Petty

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

There,

There, There (A Tribute to Radiohead)

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Asbury Lanes
209 4th Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712
category: music


 

Band

Band Infusion Musical Night by GG

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 7:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info





 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Borgata

Borgata Event Center presents KEM

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Borgata Event Center presents KEM, known as Soul's Greatness, on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 8:00pm. KEM's passion for music and the emotions he brings to life on stages worldwide have been a part of him since childhood, when he played the old piano at his grandfather's church.



Surflight

Surflight Theatre Education Program presents: Surflight Vacation Serenaders

(OCEAN COUNTY, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre is proud to debut the Surflight Vacation Serenaders as a brand new part of its Education Department for the Summer 2025 season. This group of young performers will sing, dance, and put you in a musical theatre trance!



Annual

Annual Jazz, Health and Food Truck Festival 2025 in Orange NJ

(ORANGE, NJ) -- Are you a fan of jazz music and delicious food? Then mark your calendars for Saturday, July 12, 2025, because the City of Orange NJ is hosting their annual Food Truck and Jazz Festival featuring Three Doctors Health Fare.



Strand

Strand Center for the Arts presents Chicago 9 – The Ultimate Tribute to Chicago

(LAKEWOOD, NJ) -- The iconic horns, unforgettable melodies, and powerful rhythms of Chicago come alive on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 8:00pm, as Chicago 9 – Tribute to Chicago takes the stage at the Strand Center for the Arts in Lakewood. They are widely recognized as the premier Chicago tribute band in the country.



All-Bluegrass,

All-Bluegrass, All Night: Live at Albert Music Hall on July 12th

​​​​​​​(WARETOWN, NJ) -- On Saturday, July 12, 2025, Albert Music Hall will present an evening dedicated entirely to Bluegrass music. The event begins at 6:00pm and features six live performances, each offering a 30-minute set, showcasing both new and returning acts.