A List
1/15/07

WORKS BY FRENCH COMPOSERS FEATURED IN SLU RECITAL

CANTON - Organist Sondra Goldsmith Proctor will perform works by French masters of the organ in a recital on Saturday, January 27, at 8 p.m. in Gunnison Memorial Chapel at St. Lawrence University. The event is open to the public, free of charge.

The program includes works by Eugène Gigout, César Franck, Marcel Dupré and Maurice Duruflé, among others.

Proctor, a well known and respected organist and choral conductor in the eastern United States and especially in the Washington, DC, area, was, for nearly three decades, the director of music and arts and organist for Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington. She has played recitals in many venues in the eastern United States, including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she was the first woman to present a full-length organ recital. Not limited to the United States, Proctor has also performed throughout Europe. In 1989 and 1994, she was a guest of the French government for several months, to study organ and immerse herself in French culture. The government's goal is to share its culture with the world so that artists may understand the rich heritage of France. During those months, Proctor lived in Paris in the Cité des Arts, which houses artists from around the world who are studying in many different disciplines.

Paralleling her artistry on the organ is Proctor's skill and success as a choral conductor. She is the founder and director of Circle Singers, a chamber choir now in its 25th season. She has directed numerous church choirs and is remembered for her long-term association with the Paul Hill Chorale and the Washington Singers, based at the Kennedy Center. She was also the first woman to conduct a concert on the stage of the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center. Proctor has taught organ and choirs at all levels; is an active adjudicator and clinician; and has been voice coach for several prominent vocal artists. Having served as a past dean of the District of Columbia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), past president of the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Association and as chair of the DC American Guild of Organists Foundation, she currently serves on the National Committee on Professional Networking and Public Relations for the AGO and is on a task force for the promotion of the organ.

For more information, contact the music department at 315-229-5192.

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More information: Arts at St. Lawrence