Westwood Presbyterian Church

Celebrate the glory of God through classic church choral music.

Agnus Dei - REQUIEM
Music by
John-Kevin Hilbert

MISSION & HISTORY

Mission Statement

The mission of the WPC music ministry is to enrich the worship experience through music and to offer inspiration and enjoyment through the performance of major choral and instrumental works during church services and in concert.

Westwood Presbyterian Church has a history of dedication to the classical traditions of church music. Building on the musical heritage of former WPC music director, Donn Weiss, current director John-Kevin Hilbert has expanded the program and brought his own talents to WPC.

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

JOHN-KEVIN HILBERT brings substantial experience in music direction to WPC. Among his artistic credits are service as artistic director of the San Francisco Philharmonic Orchestra, the San Francisco Choral Festival, the Oakland Lyric Opera, and the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts. At WPC, John-Kevin combines his love for conducting and composing. His body of original work includes a full-length operetta, A Time for Courage; Requiem, which debuted at Westwood Presbyterian Church in 2000; The Creation, an oratorio; and several musical plays, based on Biblical themes, for performance by children. Hilbert has a Bachelor of Music from Union College in Nebraska and a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Michigan State University.

ORGANIST

Namhee

A passionate lover and avid learner of organ music, NAMHEE HAN has performed throughout Southern California including Saint JamesÕ Episcopal Church of LA and First Congregational Church of LA. She was a featured artist at the National Convention of the American Guild of Organists in 2004.

Namhee studied piano growing up in Korea and began her training in organ with Dr. Thomas Harmon in 1999 while working on her doctoral degree in Applied Linguistics at UCLA. She has since completed a Master's and Doctoral degree in organ performance at UCLA studying with Dr. Christoph Bull. Prior to attending UCLA, she earned a Bachelor of Arts from Seoul National University in Korea.

Namhee has coached with French organ masters Marie-Claire Alain and Jean Guillou, and has participated in master classes by such eminent teacher-organists as David Craighead, Christopher Herrick, Paul Jacobs, Marilyn Keiser, and Kimberly Marshall. She also studied with Philip Smith, Organ Conservator, Walt Disney Concert Hall.

SOLOISTS

Tracy

TRACY COX, mezzo-soprano, currently studies with Juliana Gondek as a Voice Performance major at UCLA. Tracy has been seen in the UCLA Opera Department's productions of Puccini's Gianni Schicci as La Ciesca, as well as Las Sorella Infermiera in Puccini's Suor Angelica. She plans to pursue a career as an operatic mezzo-soprano. In between productions, Tracy enjoys teaching voice to children with a love for Broadway.

Paul

PAUL CUMMINGS, baritone, stays busy as a soloist, chorister, teacher, and composer/arranger. He has been a soloist for the Los Angeles Bach Festival, Long Beach Opera, Musica Angelica, Pacific Composers Forum, and the UC Irvine Opera Department. He has been featured on numerous cds for the Telarc, Harmonia Mundi, and RCM labels, in projects ranging from medieval music to children's music. He currently teaches voice, movement, instrumental music, and improvisation to grade school children, using the Orff Schulwerk method, at several Los Angeles schools.

NATHANIEL REYNOLDS, baritone, has enjoyed singing with the Chancel Choir and was thrilled to participate in the Musicale. When he's not leading the bass section of the choir, Nathaniel performs in musicals and operas across the Los Angeles region. A recent performance credit is the role of Curly in Oklahoma with the Santa Monica Theater Guild.

Holly

HOLLY SEDILLOS is a soprano section leader and soloist in the Chancel Choir. She recently graduated from a two-year acting program at the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Acting Studio in Santa Monica. She currently studies voice with James Uselman. Performance highlights include appearing as Luisa in The Fantastics at the Kentwood Players Westchester Playhouse; singing coloratura arias, "The Doll Song" and "Je Suis Titania," from Mignon in International Opera Alliance master classes with Maestro Peter Mark of Virginia Opera; and serving as a section leader in the Verdi Chorus.

Gabriel

GABRIEL SILVA, tenor, recently returned from Tel Aviv, Israel, where he performed with the Israeli Opera Studio in March, 2007. He made his Austrian debut as Filippo in Haydn's L'Infedelta Delusa with AIMS in Graz at the Palais Theatre. Principal roles include Des Grieux in Auber's Manon Lescaut with Lyric Opera of Los Angeles; Belmonte in The Abduction from the Seraglio with Intimate Opera; Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte with Repertory Opera Company, and Alfredo in La Traviata. Gabriel received his Master of Music in Vocal Arts at USC and was awarded the Jeanette MacDonald Operetta Scholarship and a teaching assistantship in voice.

Rebecca

REBECCA SJOWALL, soprano soloist, was recently chosen as the winner of the 2007 Jenny Lind Vocal Competition and was a featured artist in the 59th Annual Jenny Lind Concert in Bridgeport, Connecticut and toured Sweden as the American Jenny Lind. She has performed the role of Helena in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with UCLA Opera; Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflote with New Operafestival di Roma in Italy; La Marchesa del Poggio in Verdi's Un giorno di regno; and Marguerite in Auber's Manon Lescaut. Other roles include Gretel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel and Rosalinde in Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus. On the concert stage, Ms. Sjàwall has appeared in recital in Japan, Italy and across the United States, and she has performed the soprano roles in Haydn's Missa in Augustiis, Vivaldi's Gloria, Handel's Messiah and Dvorak's Te Deum.

Miguel

MIGUEL VARGAS, tenor, is a trained classical musician, but is just as comfortable singing Broadway music. He has studied music and performs in the Los Angeles area with local companies.

CHILDREN

A WPC highpoint is the annual production of an original musical play based on a Biblical theme or story, written to be performed by children and enjoyed by all. Recent years have featured the stories of Noah, Samson, and Jonah and a montage telling the stories of the many women of the Bible.

MUSIC AT WESTWOOD

Mission Statement Music at Westwood brings a variety of musical experiences to Westwood Presbyterian Church and the greater community of Los Angeles. Musical offerings range from classical masterpieces by Bach, Mozart, and Haydn to original works and lighthearted entertainment for Valentine's Day.

Everyone is invited to participate in and support Music at Westwood and the Chancel Choir. To inquire, call John-Kevin Hilbert or Mayra Newbon at 310.474.4535.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

MUSIC AT WESTWOOD 2008

Please check back later for Schedule of Events.

See News from WPC and the church Calendar for more information on activities at WPC.