Letter to the editor: Westminster still a source of pride

By Benjamin Glick

As a student of Westminster Choir College, I take issue with the notion that Rider has “destroyed” WCC. While former President Gregory Dell’Omo’s handling of WCC was bad, he did not get rid of the things that made Westminster a great institution for choral training. These are the school’s excellent faculty and top choral ensembles. 

Westminster continues to hire great professors. For example, Donald Nally was hired a year ago to direct Westminster Choir and Symphonic Choir, and to be the head of the conducting program. Before this, he was the head of choral studies at Northwestern University, an excellent music school, for over a decade, in addition to winning multiple Grammy Awards with his professional choir, The Crossing. 

In Symphonic Choir and Westminster Choir, professionalism is expected of students. Expectations are high, and they are communicated clearly. As a member of both ensembles, I have seven rehearsals per week. In addition to this, I get paid to sing in a local church choir. Many Westminster students make money by either singing, playing organ or directing music at local churches; it is almost to be expected.

I take pride in the Westminster name, as many students here do. It is an institution with a long legacy of excellence that continues today. For example, with the Presser Voice Lab, Westminster has gained a reputation as one of the leading schools in the world for voice science and pedagogy. 

However, it cannot be denied that much has been lost. The Princeton campus remains a source of nostalgia for many, and this has inspired some people, mainly alumni, to disparage the school in its current form, even as they claim to advocate for it. Westminster has changed, but it is still Westminster — an excellent school for vocal and choral training. Articles, such as the Sept. 26 article in The Rider News, ignore this fact in favor of a rose-colored view of a past which was always unsustainable. Building a better future for Westminster requires advocating for the value that the school continues to have. However, denying the school’s present value to lift up its past will only make this end harder.

Benjamin Glick is a sophomore voice performance major