There are only two chamber ensembles in the United States that focus specifically on modern choral music written by contemporary composers, and Darlington’s own Erin Westmaas is a member of one of them. The Upper School choral director spent five weeks this summer rehearsing and performing with The Crossing, a professional chamber choir based in Philadelphia that regularly garners accolades acclaiming the beauty and accuracy of its performances.
“The choir was founded in Philadelphia and so far performs locally there, though many of the members are now scattered around the United States,” Westmaas said. “We are committed to the performance of new and modern choral music. The selections we do could be described as classical, except that they’re not old. They’ve all been composed in the past five to 10 years.”
Founded in 2005 by renowned conductor Donald Nally, The Crossing is comprised of 22 singers with whom he has worked in previous ensembles in Philadelphia and Italy. Its critically acclaimed concerts have included works by James MacMillan, Jonathan Dove, Judith Weir, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Herbert Howells, Bruno Bettinelli and Gian Carlo Menotti.
“The selections we are doing are generally among the most challenging choral music out there,” Westmaas said. “Our music usually uses poetry and musical ideas that aren’t in the normal cannon; in fact, they’re pretty far from that. We have 22 singers and we have done pieces that have as many as 20 different parts. We rehearse three hours a day five days a week, but because our concert season is so brief, we have to show up in Philadelphia having learned all the music on our own, to some degree.”
This summer, the group performed three concerts at the Presbyterian Church of Chesnut Hill as part of their Month of Moderns series. The central works were known as The Levine Project, three new works commissioned by The Crossing on words of Philip Levine. The commissions were funded by a grant from the Philadelphia Music Project.
“With a comission, we pay someone to write pieces specifically for The Crossing,” Westmaas said. “Donald works hand in hand with the composers – not just in communicating our strengths and what we can do that other groups can’t, but even on the text itself. He’s an unbelievable interpreter of poetry and literature, and he is able to make the poetry come to life through the music these composers are writing. This summer, we commissioned Philip Levine, an amazing modern poet. His poetry can be hard to understand in the same way that our music might seem difficult, but when you dig into it, there’s something about the marriage of the two that is really meaningful.”
Next year, Nally will leave his current role as chorusmaster of the Chicago Lyric Opera to move to Philadelphia and work with The Crossing full time.
“This group really is his life, and we’re all part of it because we love to sing for him and with each other. It’s truly a labor of love for everyone,” Westmaas said. “That’s not to say that we don’t have our share of challenges. The fact that we are all so spread out really limits what we can do in terms of our concert year, and our budget is very minimal. All of our administration, marketing and outreach services are donated. But we make it work because we really love and believe in what we’re doing.”
Westmaas has been at Darlington since July 2008. In addition to teaching AP Music Theory, she conducts the Concert Choir and the Ladies’ and Men’s Chorales. She holds a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition from Calvin College (Mich.) and a M.M. in Choral Conducting from Yale School of Music. Prior to her work at Darlington, Westmaas was a lecturer in music theory at Yale and director of music for the Yale University Church.
“I love performing but I also love teaching, and doing both makes me enjoy each a lot more,” she said. “I learn so much from both of them that it would be hard to do one without the other. Also, I think it’s really good for my students to see that I’m still able to perform. After all, singing is not something you stop doing when the school year ends or when you graduate. When I was in college, I was so afraid that I was in the best choir I would ever be part of and I’d never get to sing in another choir like that. Now I know that’s not true. Singing can be a lifelong passion; you just have to find ways and venues to nourish it.”
The Crossing already has several performances scheduled in Philadelphia for the upcoming fall and winter months. Westmaas will join them for concerts in January and next summer. Click here for more information and to check out photos and audio clips.
