Westminster Choir

The Westminster Choir has grown into one of the leading musical establishments anywhere in the U.S. since its founding in 1920. The Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski was the first major orchestra to incorporate the Choir into its performances, in 1934. The list of its collaborations includes nearly every major conductor in the world -- performing over 300 times with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra alone -- and recording on 12 labels. The Westminster Choir has been chorus-in-residence of the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. since the festival's inception. Between 1971 and 2004, it performed under Joseph Flummerfelt, who was succeeded by Joe Miller. The choir received its first Grammy nomination in 1976, for a recording of Alexander Nevsky. Another honor came in 2002, when the Choir was asked to perform Verdi's Requiem in a televised September 11th memorial. Its recordings continue to be well received by critics. ~ Timothy Dickey