(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Westminster Choir, conducted by Joe Miller, will present a concert titled “Half Acre” on Sunday, November 4 at 3:00pm in Bristol Chapel on the campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton.  The ensemble will be joined by Westminster Choir College faculty member J.J. Penna.

The program takes its title from Dan Messé's evocative song Half Acre, and it includes choral masterworks ranging from Johannes Brahms’ contemplative Schicksalslied, op. 54 (Song of Destiny), to Ted Hearne’s thought-provoking Consent, to Eric Whitacre’s poetic Water Night, and to American folk songs and spirituals.

Setting the standard for choral excellence for 98 years, the Westminster Choir is composed of students at Westminster Choir College.  It has been the chorus-in-residence for the prestigious Spoleto Festival USA since 1977, performing both in concert and as the opera chorus.

In addition to a series of performances in Beijing, China earlier this month, the choir’s 2018 – 2019 season includes a concert tour of the Texas, performances at the American Choral Directors Association’s National Conference, its annual residency at the Spoleto Festival USA and the release of a new recording: Frank Martin: Mass for Double Choir.  

Its performance of John Adams’ El Niño, conducted by Joe Miller, at the Spoleto Festival was praised by The New York Times as “… superb. Meticulously prepared, the chorus was remarkable for its precision, unanimity and power.” 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. 

Director of Choral Activities at Westminster Choir College, Joe Miller is conductor of two of America’s most renowned choral ensembles: the Westminster Choir and the Westminster Symphonic Choir.

In addition to his responsibilities at Westminster Choir College, Dr. Miller is artistic director for choral activities for the renowned Spoleto Festival USA and director of the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir. His debut Spoleto Festival performance, a staged production of John Adams’ El Niño with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, the Westminster Choir and an international cast, earned critical acclaim.  The Financial Times praised, “the driving minimalistic iterations of Adams’ score securely projected under Joe Miller’s direction.”

As conductor of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Dr. Miller has collaborated with some of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. The New York Times wrote about Westminster Symphonic Choir’s performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Cleveland Orchestra, “Joe Miller's Westminster Symphonic Choir was subtle when asked and powerful when turned loose.”

Pianist J.J. Penna has performed in recital with such eminent singers as Kathleen Battle, Harolyn Blackwell, William Burden, Denyce Graves, Kevin McMillan, Florence Quivar, Sharon Sweet, Indra Thomas and Ying Huang. He has been heard at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Weill Hall, Zankel Hall and Merkin Recital Hall in New York City, the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, Wigmore Hall in London, as well as on concert tours throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, the Far East, South America and the former Soviet Union. Devoted to the performance and study of new music, he has premiered song cycles by William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Richard Hundley and Lowell Liebermann.  In addition to serving on the Westminster Choir College faculty, Dr. Penna is a staff member of the Steans Institute for Young Artists and a member of the coaching faculty of the Juilliard School.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors and are available by phone at 609-921-2663 or online at www.rider.edu/arts.