Princeton schools share the wealth with WCC

By Jess Decina


Residing next door to two of Princeton Township’s schools cannot be easy. Fortunately, Robert Annis, dean and director of Westminster Choir College (WCC), knows how to be a good neighbor. He even has access to a brand new auditorium to prove it.

“The relationship with the public schools is really very interesting, because Princeton High School is right beside us and the middle school is right behind us,” he said. “I knew that they were planning a huge project to renovate and add additions to several schools in the area.”

One of these additions is the Trego-Biancosino Hall, an auditorium that will open its doors on Saturday, Oct. 14. Annis offered to invest in some of the auditorium’s special features. In recognition of this contribution, WCC will be able to perform in the auditorium 40 days a year for 20 years, he said.

“I looked at [the members of the school board] and said, ‘Are there things you wish you had in the auditorium? If there were, maybe we could go into it jointly,’” Annis said.

With assistance from President Mordechai Rozanski, Annis invested approximately $225,000 into enhancing the auditorium with an orchestra pit that can seat 30 musicians, an in-fill platform and stage extensions that will create more room onstage, he said.

“[The additions] expand the size of the stage,” he said. “The stage itself is a good size for what we’ll be doing, but this just enhances all of that.”

The auditorium will soon house Westminster performances of every kind. And while Annis certainly did not object to holding these shows in the WCC Playhouse or Rider’s Yvonne Theater, the new performance hall is like having a brand new playground close by, he said.

“This is right next door,” he said. “I don’t have to put students on buses. It’s just
perfect.”

The auditorium will add a new dimension to the students’ educational experience that the Playhouse couldn’t always provide, he said.

“When you’re on a big stage, you get the big stage experience,” he said. “This now provides that educational opportunity, and that’s really what the inertia for all of
this was.”

Westminster will shine in the auditorium’s spotlight for the very first time at the end of October, when the Chapel Choir and the Schola Cantorum will perform
together.

“This concert will be the first performance of the Chapel Choir this year,” said Sun Min Lee, conductor of the Chapel Choir. “We are especially excited to perform in a brand new space.”

For now, the new hall is a mystery, according to freshman Sophia El-Kohury.

“I like the idea that we will have the opportunity to perform there, although I wish we had our own performance spot,” she said.

Sharing isn’t an issue for Annis, who believes the collaboration with Princeton High School will shape the way WCC connects to the surrounding community.

“In the past we’ve thought, ‘OK. Bristol Chapel, Princeton University Chapel, Playhouse,’” he said. “Now, I think you’ll see a wider spectrum of programming which will be great for the kids as well as our audiences.”