Westminster Choir College > Student Blog

2006-03-10T14:56:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!

So, let's talk a little bit about campus integration. As you may be aware, Westminster is actually a part of Rider University, although we are on a seperate campus. In the past years Westminster and Rider have been collaborating to integrate the two campuses. As a result, anything that goes on at the Rider campus is available to Westminster students also. So what does this mean for me? This means that when really awesome things like Anthony Rapp coming to Rider to talk about his new book happens, I can go too!

Monday night my friends and I made a pilgrimage to Rider to hear Anthony Rapp lecture. It was wonderful. He had a lot of really inspirational things to say about coping with death and living life. He also did a question and answer session about filming Rent and being on Broadway in general. He had told us a lot of interesting facts about the movie. For example, I bet you did not know that a lot of the items in the apartment on the movie Rent were actually from Jonathon Larson's apartment? I did not know that! He was really down-to-earth and just a cool guy to listen to. He even sang "Seasons of Love" for us and did the cute little jerking thing he does before the "Tango Maureen" (any "Rent-Heads" would know what I'm talking about). Afterwards he stayed to sign autographs (I got my Rent book signed! YAY!) It was a happy moment. I even got my picture taken with him! I'll attach it since it's just so fun. I'm the one to the right of Anthony Rapp, smiling so happily. Until next time, happy music making!

Tamara

2006-03-01T15:29:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Last time I wrote I spoke about a run-out. I suppose I should explain what a run-out is. A run-out is not a tour but rather a performance. It's called a run-out because you literally run-out and come back. Simple enough, right? So, I had my first run-out with the Chapel Choir last week on Wednesday. Aside from being on the bus that just happened to get lost and drove around on Pennsylvania back roads for 45 minutes (it seems these adventures always happen to me), it was great! It was really cool to see a lot of Westminster alumni there. I actually got to speak with some of them after the concert and they couldn't have had anything better to say about their experiences at Westminster. That excites me! We have another run-out coming up soon on March 25th at 7:30 PM inWestminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. It's free so you should all come see it! The musical theatre program is putting on a show this weekend on March 4th, 5th, and 6th. It's called "Smile" and I hear it's a really great show. I can't wait to see it. Everyone is so excited for the performance. I saw them in the fall when they did "Is There Life After High School?" and it was awesome! What's cool about the musicals they do here is that you don't have to be a theatre major to do the show. Anyone can audition which I think is really great for those of us who did musical theatre in high school and want to keep doing it. Well, I'm off to lunch for now. Happy music-making!

Tamara

2006-02-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

posted by: Tamara

Hello everyone!

How excited are you about RENT coming out on video yesterday?!? I know I am! My friends and I watched it last night. It was so funny to go to the lounge and walk down the hallways seeing it being played in multiple locations. I guess that's one way you know that you go to a choir college. Of course, immediately following the movie I found the most adorable picture of Anthony Rapp (Mark) and put it on my computer desktop. Speaking of Anthony Rapp, he's coming to Rider University at the beginning of March for a signing of his new book, "Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical RENT." I'm so excited!If I got to meet Anthony Rapp....sigh. Well, this is a short entry because we have a run-out tonight and I need to go get ready. I shall talk to you all soon and let you know how our performance went. I hope to see some of you there!

Tamara

2006-02-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

posted by: Tamara

Hello everyone!

My name is Tamara (rhymes with "camera") and I'm a freshman Music Education voice major here at Westminster. I'm so excited to have to opportunity to tell you all about what I do here at this wonderful school!

As I said, I'm a freshman so I'm part of the Westminster Chapel Choir, the choir that all freshmen are required to be in. It's a lot of fun and I get to work with some really great people. It's also an awesome bonding experience for your class. We're currently preparing for a concert at the Church of St. Andrew in Newtown, PA at 7:30 PM on February 22nd. You should all come out and see us! We have a really great program prepared.

So I suppose I should tell you a little bit about what I love at Westminster. The best part is everywhere you go you're surrounded by music and people who love music. It's not like other colleges where you'd be living in a hallway with people of many different majors. EVERYONE here is a music major. It's really great because everyone understands your passion and shares their musical experiences with you every day. However, at the same time everyone is so diverse in their interests and personalities.

The environment at Westminster is very small and everyone knows you. It feels like a family and I like that. Everyone is so supportive of each other. Everyone is going through the same challenges and is there for each other. The professors are wonderful. They'll always take the time to help you with anything and are always there if you need them. The teachers are so passionate about what they are teaching that it's exciting to learn from them.

Aside from school, I work. There are a lot of great work opportunities for students right on campus. I happen to work at the admissions office, and it's a lot of fun! I also happen to work off campus at Princeton University Chapel. I sing with the choir there every Sunday and get paid to sing in one of the most beautiful venues around.

Outside of classes and work, there's always something to do. Princeton is a great little town with a lot of shops and restaurants. One of the favorite things for my friends and I to do is to go out and eat. Can we say midnight Hoagie Haven runs? If I'm not off campus, I'm always watching a movie with someone, playing video games, or cooking in the dorm kitchen.

Well, that's all I’ll tell you for now. I don't want to tell you EVERYTHING just yet. All I'll say to conclude things is that I love it here and I wouldn't change my mind even if I got to go back and do it a hundred times. Until next time, happy music making!

Tamara

2006-02-07T12:19:00.000-05:00

posted by: Brandon

Here Begins a New Semester...

Hello all! My name is Brandon Gaines and I will be providing the blog reports for Westminster Choir College this semester. Before I get into the first week back in session after a LONG break, I would like to tell you a little about myself. I am a first year graduate student at Westminster Choir College seeking a degree in Voice Performance. My undergraduate degree, also in Voice Performance, came from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Before moving to New Jersey, I had lived in North Carolina my entire life. I was born in Lumberton, North Carolina which is situated about twenty miles north of the South Carolina border directly off of Interstate 95. When I moved to New Jersey I didn't find it to be a big change in the large prospective, however the smaller things threw me for a loop at first.

When I made the trip to New Jersey on August 5, 2005, I made the terrible mistake of attempting to make a left hand turn out of a gas station. I had no idea what a "jug handle" was, better yet how it worked. Therefore I was holding up traffic and getting honked at for about five minutes as I attempted this forbidden turn at a busy intersection. All of the honking and yelling was definitely not a warm greeting into the Garden State. However, I am now an avid user of various "jug handles" in and around Princeton and have finally figured them out.

Secondly, I found it extremely odd that I could not pump my own gas. In the same trip that I had the left turn episode, I also had my first interaction with a gas station attendant. He said he would gladly pump my gas, so I let him. When he was finished filling up the tank, I offered him a tip which he refused to take. He then told me that it was against the law for me to pump my own gas and that a tip was not necessary. I was glad to have that all cleared up.

Well that's enough about me. I hope everyone had a great first week of the Spring Semester. I am all for having time off for vacation, however I think the extensive time that we had was a bit much. I don't know about anyone else, but it seems like it will take a few weeks to get back into the groove of everything and starting functioning as a student after so much time off.

That's about it for now. Have a great week and be sure to read the blog report next week.

Royal Christmas - Day 3

2005-12-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

posted by: Brandon Gaines

Day Three - Wednesday, November 30, 2005

The morning came very early after a late night of excitement and anticipation. The buses were loaded and we're now beginning the tour and headed for Long Island, New York where we will perform tonight at the Nassau Coliseum. A two o'clock rehearsal was scheduled so we could meet with Ms. Denyce Graves and rehearse her pieces with the entire ensemble. Her amazing voice and cordial demeanor made her a delight to work with.

The concert was a great success, and even though a few kinks in programming were still being worked out the lights and excitement of a first performance in a large arena was a thrilling experience.

Royal Christmas - Day 2

2005-12-06T13:05:00.000-05:00

posted by: Brandon Gaines

Day Two - Tuesday, November 29, 2005

After a long day of rehearsal and constant uncertainty, the choir enjoyed the luxury of getting to sleep in until late morning. We met for some fine tuning with Professor Megill, and then were off for a sound check with the orchestra.

During the afternoon the entire crew learned that Andrea Bocelli's plane had experienced mechanical difficulties in Paris, and it was uncertain as to whether or not he would be able to make it in time for the Dress Rehearsal in front of over one thousand Trump Casinos employees. The Dress Rehearsal began at 8:00 p.m. where the orchestra, choir, and extraordinary dancers rounded out the first half of the performance. At intermission we learned that Mr. Bocelli had landed on American soil, but a power outage had occurred at the Atlantic City Airport making it impossible for the plane to land. The plane was forced to circle the airport until the problem was resolved.

Meanwhile, the second half of the concert began and it was obvious the audience members were beginning to get restless awaiting Mr. Bocelli's arrival. After every selection except the Bocelli set had been performed, the conductor took a five minute recess to access the situation. After consulting with the production staff he informed the audience that Mr. Bocelli's was being transported by automobile to the arena and should arrive within twenty minutes.

Finally, after much anticipation and a less than patient audience, Andrea Bocelli arrived and performed selections such as "Ombra mai fu", Schubert's "Ave Maria", and "Adeste Fideles". Even though it was now almost midnight the audience roared with applause and a standing ovation at the end of the performance.

No trip to Atlantic City would be complete without taking a chance gambling a couple of bucks. No one accomplished this task better than Westminster alum Michelle Cusson who walked away from the poker table with five hundred dollars!

Royal Christmas - Day 1

2005-12-06T13:01:00.000-05:00

posted by: Brandon Gaines

Day One - November 28, 2005

The adventure began at 8:30 a.m. when new and old friends met in Bristol Chapel for the first rehearsal. Even though it was the first time anyone had seen the music, we were all at ease under the confident direction of Professor Andrew Megill. The rehearsal concluded around 11:30 a.m. and afterwards the choir enjoyed delicious boxed lunches courtesy of Heavenly Ham. We then loaded the bus and headed for Atlantic City.

We arrived at the Trump Marina Hotel and quickly checked in so we could be on time for our first meeting with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Although things were a bit hectic, the ensemble came together quite well (under the baton of maestro Edwin Outwater), and great promise was proven to be in store for the rest of the trip.

Pleased to meet you!!!!

2005-10-11T17:42:00.000-04:00

Hello! Because this is my first blog entry I would like to give an overview of myself and my general feelings on Westminster Choir College. My name is Kyle Smaltz. I am from Myerstown, Pennsylvania, a small town north of Lancaster and near Hershey. I am now in my junior year here at Westminster. I am majoring in Music Education as a voice primary and also taking part in the new 5 year BM/MAT program. This program allows students to graduate with both their Bachelor of Music and Master in the Arts of Teaching in just 5 years. I am really enjoying my time here at Westminster. I enjoy the intimate size of the campus as well as the fact that all my friends here share the same musical passion that I have. My professors are all very involved and genuinely care about the school and the students. My teachers all have the opportunity to know my name and seriously critique all my papers and assignments (for better or worse!). Right now I’m taking a full load of 18 credits of very challenging courses. It is a lot of work, but I still find time for part-time work and a very active social life. The entire school shares a unique bond due to the fact that we share the common goal of creating beautiful music. In order to create that music we need each other. This need is what creates the atmosphere of supportive and constructive friends and eliminates any negativity. Dr. Abrahams, head of the music education department here, pointed out to our class the other day that John Finley Williamson was being deliberate when he had choir rehearsals scheduled in the middle of the day. It allows everyone here to keep the “team” environment despite anything else that may be going on in their day.

Yay! Spring Break in Florida

2005-04-12T09:58:00.000-04:00

posted by: Erika

I traveled down to Florida to visit my grandparents over this year's Spring Break. I spent the first few days at home, packing and shopping and going to the dentist. Then on Wednesday, my Mom, Dad, brother Adam and I started traveling. Well, I'm sure most of you have experienced the wonderful joys of airport delays. We had a total of four hours of layovers between Albany, New York and Atlanta, Georgia due to bad weather. We finally arrived in Tampa just after midnight. We tracked down our shuttle van driver, who was quite the character and he kept circling the airport until we couldn't fit another body in the van, and finally arrived at my grandparents', Poppy and Pat, apartment. They live in Top of the World, mainly a retirement community, which kind of resembles those Thursday and the Yankees spring training game we were supposed to see was cancelled. Some Happy St. Patrick's Day! So instead of the game, we went to an "Irish" music night at their community center, which turned out to be more of a Dixie-land band. It was interesting to hear all seniors sing along...I think they knew everyone song that the band played! And they gave away free green beer, which I don't think anyone really drank, but at least it looked festive. We spent Friday at the beach in Clearwater and then went to the shore to watch the sunset that night. On Saturday, we went to a huge flea market and then spent the afternoon by the pool. We went to an afternoon Palm Sunday service and went out to dinner at the Dog Water Cafe, where they serve your food in dog dishes. A different sort of flair, I guess...The burgers were amazing to say the least! We work up very early Sunday morning, said our goodbyes, and headed back to New York. After hitting home for a brief period of time, I turned around and drove back to Princeton. Back to work, a little more relaxed but with sunburn to deal with!

Me and my brother Adam

Conducting class is a Hoot!

2005-03-23T15:32:00.000-05:00

posted by:David

Hey everyone, it's David again. Today was a really good day, even though spring break is officially over. Classes ran smoothly. Contemporary Trends was great because we got to listen to "minimalist" music with lots of repetitions of small phrases of music. One such example was "Piano Phase" by Steve Reich. This is a two piano piece with a phrase of about eight notes that get repeated over and over again with slight tempo changes in one of the piano parts, creating complex rhythms and melodic effects. It's a really crazy concept, but I have to say it kept my interest, even though my ears were about to bleed from the repetition of the same notes at least twenty times in a row!

There are only a few more days before we get to rehearse the Berlioz' Damnation of Faust with the NY Philharmonic. This will be great. I'm actually excited because our choir is sounding a lot better now that the time is getting closer to our performances. I think everyone gets a little more excited and puts in more effort when the time draws near.

Conducting class was great as always. Dr. Jordan is a hoot! We conducted on the Swiss Exercise Balls and used our maracas to conduct marcato 4 and 3 beat patterns. We're getting into complicated techniques, such as... using BOTH hands to conduct! (I know, it sounds really easy, but to me, it's hard!) We talked about Laban technique and how dancers and conductors use the same principles for movement. This was quite an interesting class!

That's all for now. I'll be writing again soon!

Has the flu finally caught up with me?

2005-03-17T11:32:00.000-05:00

posted by: David

I took it real easy today because I wasn't feeling too good in the morning, but now I feel much better. In our Contemporary Trends class we discussed the orchestration of Schoenberg's 5 Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16. These pieces were...interesting! They lacked any sense of tonality, but were held together by rhythmic and textural similarities. While I understand this is a part of the curriculum for musicians, I have to admit Schoenberg's music is not my favorite! I guess I'll just have to learn to like and appreciate it.

There are only 5 more rehearsals for the Berlioz choir, and then off we go to NYC to rehearse and perform the gigantic work. It's all coming together, slowly, but surely. That French diction is rather tricky! We are always on our toes to get the right vowel. At lunch today, we were entertained by Gilberto Gomez, who was showing off his Drag outfit . He is a crazy man - always good for a laugh! He lip synced to songs such as Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and other female songs. He was advertising for the drag ball which was held at 8:30. Unfortunately, I did not attend this because I had to teach during that time. I'm sure it was lots of fun... if you like that sort of thing!

Two more days 'till spring break! I can't wait! I can finally relax, take a breather, and catch up on all my practicing for my new repertoire. This should be fun. Good night everyone.

Singing at Odette's

2005-03-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

posted by: Erika

This past weekend, I performed in a cabaret act called Two Hits and a Miss at Odette's in New Hope, PA. One of my professors and the head of our music theater department, Dr. Jay Kawarsky, e-mailed me over winter break and asked me if I would be interested in performing in a cabaret act he was putting together. I jumped at the opportunity and I am so glad I did. Two of my friends, Christian and George, were also ask to guest star in the show. The three featured performers were Ashley Wayne Barlow, Jane Arthur, and Deryl Johnson (the "two hits and a miss") who are all regular performers at the Cabaret at Odette's. They were so much fun to work with and gave us an insight on what it’s like to perform in a totally different setting. A cabaret is so much fun to do simply because the audience is right there practically on the stage with you and the intimacy allows the performer to really connect with people. Our cabaret was comprised of "songs lifted, borrowed, and stolen from some of the best cabarets around." The three headliners sang songs by Maltby and Shire, William Finn, among others. George, Christian, and I, affectionately called the three WCC "kids", sang back up for Ashley’s rendition of Weird Al Yankovich’s "One More Minute" and we sang a trio called "Fugue for a Menage a Trois". We did an entire coffee sequence in which I sang a solo called "Taylor the Latte Boy" and we all sang "Heart and Music" from A New Brain as our finale. My family drove down from home in New York to see the show on Saturday night and some of the teachers from school like Dr. Hemmel, a theory teacher, and Tina Vogel, the tap teacher, also came to see us. Bobby Egan, who produced the cabaret, really enjoyed our performances and wants us to come back and perform again soon. Hopefully we’ll be able to do an entire showcase of talent from Westminster. I can’t wait for my next trip out to Odette's. FUN TIMES!

pictured from left George Colli, me & Christian Stuck, all Westminster students

Rap at Westminster?

2005-03-03T17:26:00.000-05:00

posted by: David

David Leifer, reporting again. Today began with a discussion in Music History Since 1900 about Hip-Hop music and its roots in the Bronx. This was probably the most entertaining class we have had all semester! We got to listen to music by rappers from the 1970s all the way to the late 1980s. I especially liked listening to Rapper's Delight, and The Message, by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. My favorite part of the song is where the rapper says "Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge. I'm try-ing not to lose my head!" Those words stuck with me all through today. It's such a catchy beat! Other highlights were finishing the remaining notes left to learn of the Berlioz' The Damnation of Faust in Symphonic Choir. The score is like a textbook, no lie! Even so, we have finally reached our goal- to sing through ALL of our notes of the score. Now we just have to get it all to sound good together! Performances with the NY Philharmonic are just around the corner. I had chicken fajitas for lunch - not bad! Sour cream and salsa added a lot to the flavor. The hearty vegetable soup was pretty good, too! Finally, to top it all off, we had the funniest conducting class with Dr. Jordan today. We sat on the Swiss Balls to stay balanced, and we practiced 4, 3, and 2 beat conducting patterns. Everyone was so giggly because he made so many jokes while we were *attempting* to make the right gestures. What a great class to end the day!

Something new for Westminster Choir

2005-03-03T17:17:00.000-05:00

posted by: Erika

All the work that we do three times a week in rehearsals for the Westminster Choir paid off in full tonight. We had our Mid-Winter Concert in Bristol Chapel at 8 PM tonight. We were honored to have Stefan Parkman, a highly reputable conductor from Sweden, as our guest conductor. He came over in January to work with us for a couple weeks and then came back again two weeks prior to the concert. He was a wonderful person to work with, highly energetic and very passionate and committed to the making of music. He challenged out musicianship skills and our artistic talents with a varied repertoire of music.

We opened the concert with "Hear My Prayer, O Lord", a mix of a Purcell motet and a modern twist ending by Swedish composer Sven-David Sandstrom. We then performed a piece called "Wiegen-Lied" from 'Wie ein Kind' by Per Norgard, which included Sarah Sweet and Dan O'Day as soloists. The piece was very interesting because the text was written by Adolph Wolfli, a man who spent his life confined in an asylum, and we had to make all sorts of character noises intermixed with singing a simple and beautiful melody. Next we sang a set of more traditional Swedish folk songs. "Aftonen" was a lovely folk song modeled after the yodeling of mountain shepherdesses. We sang the beginning in traditional position, then surrounded the audience in a large circle, and sang the song again. "Till Osterland" featured Erika Hennings singing a solo verse and Mr. Parkman’s daughter Sara read the text aloud for "Uti var hage". We ended the first half of the program with some audience participation, singing the last few phrases of "Pseudo-Yoik" with Mr. Parkman teaching the audience and having them join in singing.

The second half of our program was four movements from the Frank Martin "Mass for Double Choir", of which we sang the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. What is interesting about the Martin "Mass" is that Martin wrote it as a personal tribute to honor his spiritual connection with his God and he never intended it to be published or performed. It would be a shame to not perform such a beautiful set of music. Our performance really hit the mark and brought out all sorts of hidden artistic moments. From its thickest textures to its simplest melody line, the different movements each told their own story and really touched me, more in that one performance than in the months of rehearsal. It was well received by the community, being an out of the norm Westminster Choir concert. We owe our success to the music, to the man who challenged us to be our best, and to ourselves.

****Photo to come soon!!!*******

What does a piano student's schedule look like?

2005-02-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

posted by: David

Hey everyone. It's David Leifer again. I am finally relaxing from a busy day of classes at Westminster. First, I had Piano Lit II again with Dr. Goldsworthy, one of the best teachers I have. We talked about Schumann today, and listened to some of his major piano works, including Op. 9, Carnaval, which was a piece I had never heard before. It was good to open my ears to some new music.

After that class, I had Improv and Movement, which was fun because we got to play a game of "chain tag," where each player has to join in a link when they are tagged until everyone is tagged. The point of this whole class is to be free and relaxed with movements and to be able to perform activities on the spur of the moment. I feel like I'm beginning to become more comfortable thinking of new ideas on the spot for performing in front of the class. This class helps me become more comfortable on a stage, such as when I perform on the piano. The activities we do in this class are quite different than your average class, but they definitely get one's brain thinking in a new way.

Another highlight of my day was piano performance class. I got to hear some great performances, such as Mozart's Sonata K. 547a in F major, Clementi's Sonata in b minor, Op. 49, No. 2, and Ravel's Jeux d'Eau. I truly enjoyed every performance today, and these were probably the three pieces that stuck out in my mind as the class ended. There were also some very interesting and "new" pieces that I had never heard before by Rautavaara and Stravinsky. Piano performance class is always a great way to hear what other music is out there other than what I am currently studying. This class was a great way to end my day. That's all for now!

The sign backstage of Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC,
our "Home Away from Home"

Ryan Brechmacher, WCC piano student and
lover of "Frank's Hot Sauce"

What to do AFTER my junior recital?

2005-02-25T09:46:00.000-05:00

posted by: David
Hey everyone. It's David Leifer again. Today in Piano Lit II class, we looked at Chopin's Etudes and Ballades. The etudes are really awesome. They seem to have a direct correlation to Bach's preludes and Beethoven's principles of harmony. The ballades seem to stem from Schubert's Ballades, which is really interesting to me. It's cool to see how the compositional style of the great composers has evolved over the centuries.

After Piano Lit II, I gave a piano lesson to a piano secondary student who is trying to pass her piano proficiency at the end of the semester. It's a great experience for me to practice my teaching on a fellow student here at Westminster. It's a lot of fun teaching someone who is also your good friend.

Lunch at the dining commons was pretty good again today. I had a cheeseburger and some roasted potatoes, not to mention an awesome mango-strawberry smoothie, made by our wonderful chef that comes occasionally to make specialty foods and drinks.
After lunch I had my piano lesson, which went pretty well. I have started all new repertoire now, and it's pretty overwhelming starting from scratch after giving a huge recital, but I'm ready to start fresh! That's all I have for now! Later!

Introduction

2005-02-25T09:13:00.000-05:00

posted by: David

Hi. I'm David Leifer, and I'm a junior here at Westminster. Today I got up bright and early for my Piano Literature II class again, and this time we talked about and listened to Chopin's Nocturnes and Scherzos, which were beautiful. I wish I had the time to learn all of them, but I'm afraid that would take the rest of my life! For an 8:00 AM class, this one's pretty entertaining because Dr. Goldsworthy makes corny, yet funny jokes. It's always a great learning experience in his classroom.

During my long break, I looked for new repertoire for my senior piano recital, which will be next year. I feel like I just finished my Junior Recital, and I'm already moving ahead. This is crazy! Even so, learning new repertoire is always fun. After researching repertoire, I ate lunch at the dining commons, where I had a chicken patty, which was actually pretty good, and a fajita with sour cream and salsa. The food seems to be improving. Let's hope it stays this way!

Finally, I had my piano lesson, where my teacher and I picked out all new repertoire, including Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Antheil (who many may not have heard of). I have a full plate now, but I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead. I get to do a concerto for my senior recital! This is a huge milestone for me, since it will be my first concerto.

That's all I have for now. Later!

Monte Carlo Night, 2005

2005-02-24T09:39:00.000-05:00

posted by: Erika

Tonight was one of the highlights of the social spring semester at Westminster. For the past couple months, I’ve been working with the Programming Board to plan the annual Monte Carlo night. My friend Lindsay (she’s the fearless Programming Board Leader/Ms. President) and I painted a huge banner which we hung on the side of Seabrook. I thought my artistic talents peaked in the third grade, but we pulled off a hot advertisement of cards, dice, and martinis. The night is always hosted in Williamson Hall, with all the different spaces divided into different gaming rooms. The event is “black-tie” and its so much fun to see everyone get all dolled up, in gowns and scarves and smoking jackets. We served food and had an open bar, non-alcoholic, all night long. For each Monte Carlo Night, students get a bag of chips when they walk in and play games all night long. I spent the night dealing blackjack and, I must say, I did pretty well for someone who learned how to deal only 15 minutes before the event started! The house only won, oh, a whole bunch of times. After we close the tables, everyone redeems their remaining chips for tickets to enter the prize raffles. The prizes were kicking this year, ranging from palm pilots to digital voice recorders to gift certificates and baskets. Another fun element new to the Monte Carlo extravaganza was a date auction, sponsored as a fundraiser for the freshman class. My dear friend Michelle was the auctioneer (a stunning “Lady in Red” looking fabulous as usual) and I watched as people from my roommate Gina to my old Chapel Choir GA Steve were sold to the highest bidder. The whole thing was a riot! Great memories…

Pictured from left me, Julie Norman, Gina Basso & Michelle Maccarone

What happens at floor meetings on Seabrook 3rd?

2005-02-24T08:56:00.000-05:00

posted by: Erika

I live on the 3rd floor of Seabrook Hall with a group of absolutely lovely ladies. Tonight we had a floor meeting, lead by our beautiful and talented RA Jenna Lebherz. We all gather outside Jenna's door and talk about campus events, hall/community problems, and laugh a lot. Every once in a while we have girls' night, where we watch movies and paint nails... I know, very girly, but hey I live on a floor full of women! Dorm life is a blast. I mean, you do have to a share a bathroom with 40 other girls, but people leave candy canes and valentines on your door and we'll get together every once in awhile and order tons of pizza late at night. We're planning on having a Hawaiian/luau party on our floor later this semester. Aloha!

Erika's Introduction

2005-02-16T10:56:00.000-05:00

posted by: Erika
topic: Introduction

Hi! My name is Erika and I'm a sophomore here at Westminster Choir College. I'm a double major in Music Education and Music Theater, with voice primary. Originally from Clifton Park, New York, I heard about Westminster through a good friend I had met through a summer music camp. My music teachers from home urged me to come take a look and audition and when I came here for the first time, I immediately felt at home.

Westminster is a great place because there is a wonderful community here. In such a small school, you can walk around campus and know people by name. Teachers remember you even when you took a class with them a year ago. And there are so many opportunities on our campus as well as over at the Lawrenceville campus to perform, be involved in student organizations, and really make a difference.

As for myself, I'm involved in all sorts of different things. I'm the Vice-President of our chapter of MENC (Music Educators National Conference) and I also work on the Programming Board to help plan fun events like Monte Carlo Night and Spring Fling. I study voice with Amy Zorn and have performed on campus with the Westminster Music Theater and Westminster Opera Theater. I also sing Alto 1 in the Westminster Choir, which performed Handel's "Messiah" with the New York Philharmonic this past December and will be the choir-in-residence at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina in the late spring.

I will be your inside look at student life Westminster, so keep checking in on the website for entries and pictures that will show you what our school is really like.

Erika

"You are the music while the music lasts." - T.S. Eliot

About Rider University's Westminster Choir College.

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Picture yourself performing with some of the greatest orchestras and conductors of our time. See yourself learning from and being nurtured by world-class musicians. See yourself as part of a unique musical community at the only school of its kind in the world. See yourself here--Westminster Choir College of Rider University.

Offering the finest instruction at the undergraduate and graduate level, Westminster Choir College also enriches the Princeton community through Westminster Conservatory, our community music school, and provides an extensive workshop series and performances throughout the year.

We invite you to learn more about this special place.