Westchester Choral Society Presents Rousing Concert with Selections from Dvorak and American Gospel and Spiritual Songs

The Westchester Choral Society’s Concert this month was a terrific affair with selections, including Dvorak’s Mass in D Major and Romance in F Minor as well as rousing songs from American gospel and spiritual roots. Under the direction of long-time conductor Frank Nemhauser, and accompanist David Baranowski, the packed audience was treated to a special feature with violinist Hojin Kim, who has performed with the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra in her native South Korea and several New York venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall and the Neue Galerie as a chamber musician. Kim also has served as concertmaster of Mannes College the New School of Music.

The concert, which was held at Rye Presbyterian Church, was a memorial tribute to Rosemary Peeler, a member of the Westchester Choral Society for several years until 2013. Peeler’s life was dedicated to the appreciation of music and helping others. A versatile individual, she was a pianist, singer and violinist as well as a teacher for nearly 20 years at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Spence and Brearley Schools in New York City and Manhattanville College. As if those activities weren’t enough to fill her days, Peeler also helped build houses with Habitat for Humanity, volunteered in soup kitchens and food banks and on the cancer floor at White Plains Hospital.

The award-winning Westchester Choral Society was founded by Sarah Stewart Bowne in 1942 to perform Bach’s B-minor Mass with 15 singers. Today, the society has almost 60 singers performing works from Baroque to contemporary, presenting concerts to audiences in Westchester and nearby communities. It was recognized by the Westchester Arts Council’s prestigious Year 2000 Arts Organization Award as the county’s premier choral organization. The society supports the Westchester community with a yearly program of holiday music for patients at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and joins the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains in sponsoring annual Summer Sings that are open to all. The series opens June 21 with Mozart: Requiem; Mozart; Ave Verum Corpus at the Music Conservatory. Visit www.westchesterchoralsociety.org for more information.