“Lord Nelson” Mass in D minor, with St. Paul’s Choir, guest conductor Joseph Flummerfelt, and Orchestra. An enduring masterpiece for choir, soloists, and orchestra, Haydn’s Missa in angustiis is a marvel of musical architecture and beauty. As one of the six late masses of Haydn, it holds a special place in the classical repertoire for its ingenuity and immediacy, and was completed with astonishing speed at the height of Haydn’s international reputation, in the course of eight weeks.

The performance is conducted by Joseph Flummerfelt, former director of the Westminster Choir, an artistic director of the Spoleto Festival USA, and responsible for most of the choral work of the New York Philharmonic since 1971. For 33 years Joseph Flummerfelt served as artistic director and principal conductor of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey – a position from which he retired in 2004. He began his academic career as director of choral activities at his alma mater, DePauw University, from 1964 to 1968. He served in the same capacity at Florida State University from 1968 to 1971, when he began his tenure at Westminster. Since retiring from Westminster, Flummerfelt has held many visiting professorships and conducted many performances at a number of universities, including, among others, Eastman School of Music, University of Texas, New England Conservatory, University of Illinois, Kansas City Conservatory of Music and DePauw University. For 37 years he served as director of choral activities for the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. in Charleston, South Carolina, from which he retired in 2013, and for 23 years was the maestro del coro for the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy.

A master teacher, Flummerfelt’s many former students occupy a number of major choral positions throughout the United States. Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, who, as a teenager, studied with Flummerfelt in two advanced conducting summer workshops, cites him as one of the two major influences in his life as a conductor. A 2009 New York Times article said, “Mr. Nezet-Seguin called those sessions with Mr. Flummerfelt the only significant conducting lessons he ever had.”

Dr. Donald Nally, another former student, who is now Director of Choral Activities at Northwestern University as the founder and artistic director of The Crossings, collaborated on a book with Dr. Flummerfelt entitled “Conversations with Joseph Flummerfelt”.

In addition to his Grammy awards and nominations, Flummerfelt’s many honors include Le Prix du President de la Republique from L’Academie du Disque Francais. He holds honorary doctorates from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, Purdue University, Vincennes University, Ursinus College, and DePauw University. He has received DePauw’s two highest alumni awards. The Old Gold Goblet in 1988 and the DePauw Gold Medal in 2005.

His recording of the Haydn “Nelson” Mass with the Westminster Choir and New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein was nominated for a Grammy award. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Flummerfelt, now an Indianapolis resident, to St. Paul’s for this special concert. Admission is free.