Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Westminster College Chamber Singers and Dr. Robin Lind, Westminster associate professor of music and director of choral activities, participated in the Ohio Music Educators District V Chamber Choir Festival Nov. 9 at Lakeview High School in Cortland, Ohio.

Lind was guest conductor for the day-long festival. The Westminster choir joined 14 high school chamber choirs (no more than 24 members) and their directors from Trumbull, Mahoning, and Ashtabula counties.

Each choir, including Westminster's Chamber Singers, performed two selections at an evening concert. The Westminster pieces included Byron J. Smith's "Worthy to be Praised," featuring soloists Claudia Brown and Alison Paden.

All choirs combined for a 300-voice massed choir under Lind's direction for Franz Schubert's "Lebenslust," David Dickau's "Silent Noon," and Alexander Pascanu's "Chindia."

Amanda Gentzel, a Westminster senior sacred music and computer science major, was the accompanist for the festival and the evening concert.

"This was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet and work with over 300 students from eastern Ohio and to get acquainted with their directors," Lind said. "It was an excellent educational experience for our students-many of them music majors-to observe so many high school choirs and their directors perform in one evening. They have gained valuable information they can take into the classroom when they become student teachers."

Lind, who has been with Westminster since 2000, earned an undergraduate degree from the College of Idaho, master's from the University of Oregon, and Ph.D. from the University of Utah.

Contact Lind at (724) 946-7278 or e-mail lindra@westminster.edu for more information.

About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges. Westminster ranked third among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 371 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.