The William Paterson Chamber Choir, the University’s elite vocal ensemble, is headed to Italy during spring break for a performance and cultural tour that will take them to Umbria, Naples, Spoleto, and Rome.
The 31-member group, which includes students and alumni, will present five concerts during the nine-day tour. Among the performances are participation in Masses at the Basilica di San Francesco d’Assisi in Assisi, and at the Basilica di San Camillo de Lellis, the parish for the U.S. Embassy in Rome, as well as concerts in Capri, with the Sorrento Chorale at the Cattedrale di Sorrento, and at the Pantheon in Rome.
“This is an amazing opportunity for our students to sing cathedral music in the places where the music was conceived,” says Lauren Fowler-Calisto, associate professor of music and director of choral activities at William Paterson, who is leading the tour along with Christopher Herbert, assistant professor of music and coordinator of vocal studies. “There was a rigorous audition process for us to be accepted to sing in these incredible spaces, so this is a real achievement for our students.”
Students auditioned for the choir a year ago and dedicated themselves to singing an ambitious program of a cappella music in Latin, German, and English from a range of time periods. In addition to performing pieces in Latin that are part of the Mass liturgy, they will perform sacred classics such as the Johann Sebastian Bach motet, “Jesu, meine Freude,” performed in German. They will also perform a number of Americana works such as “The Way You Look Tonight,” written by Jerome Kern and popularized by Frank Sinatra, and the American folk tune, “Shenandoah.”
Seven of the choir members—Emily McQuaid of Hewitt, alto; Jamie Engels ’17 of Newfoundland, Christopher Leiva of Haledon, and Jake Newton of Pompton Lakes, tenor; and Alejandro De Los Santos of Dover, Salvatore Montero of Washington, and Dominick Wood of Norwalk, CT, bass—also will serve as assistant/student conductors.
Other members of the choir are Kirsten Butler of Hawthorne, Elora Chapple of Edgewater, Viviana Kaszubski of Boonton, Rebecca Levin ’18 of North Brunswick, Jessica Momanyi of Edison, Brenna Moran of Wayne, and Allysa Totten of Edison, soprano; Khyriyyah Abdul-Haqq of East Orange, Taylor Andresen of Westwood, Africa Gray ’20 of Paterson, Scarlette Horvath of Greystone Park, Bridget Maresca of Fair Lawn, Emily Martinez of Totowa, Nicole Parente of Palisades Park, Isabelle Thomas of Wayne, and Lindsey Wormald ’18 of Hewitt, alto; Luis Costanza of Hewitt, Ethan Kimball of Highland Lakes, and Matthew Rodriguez of Nutley, tenor; and Owen Gavigan of Hillsborough, Thomas Jefferson of Cape May Court House, Andrew Jones of Newton, Austin Sidito of Holbrook, NY, and Caleb Vazquez of Fair Lawn, bass. Phillip Swan, co-director of choral studies at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Wisconsin, is joining the tour as guest conductor.
In addition to performing in concert, the students will also have the opportunity to visit a range of Italian cultural sites, including Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii, the Coliseum, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel, among others.
Follow the choir’s travels through Italy on Instagram: @VoiceAtWPUNJ.
William Paterson University
300 Pompton Road
Wayne, New Jersey 07470
973-720-2000
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