The Westminster Community Orchestra (WCO), conducted by Ruth Ochs, will perform on Sunday, February 22 at 3 p.m. in Hillman Hall at the Cullen Center, on the Westminster campus, Walnut Lane. There are no tickets required; a suggested admission of $10/person cash will be collected at the door.

The concert will feature the U.S. premiere of Uri Bar-Or’s Heartbeat Rhythm. The Israeli composer was killed while serving in the Nahal Brigades 50th Battalion of the Israeli Defense Forces. The program also includes soprano Ally Christiansen, performing two arias dating to 1780 — Mozart’s “Ruhe sanft” from Zaide and Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ “Du tendre amour” from L’amant anonyme. The concert will conclude with Dvorak’s Symphony No 6.

Christiansen is a 2024 master of music in voice performance and pedagogy graduate of Rider University’s Westminster Choir College. During her time at the school, she sang in the Westminster Symphonic Choir as well as in the Westminster Singers. Recent professional work includes teaching private voice lessons at Dr. Isaac Hurtado’s Utah Vocal Arts Academy, as well as singing as a chorister for the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City. She currently studies with Margaret Cusack.

“We are honored to present the U.S. premiere of Uri Bar-Or’s Heartbeat Rhythm, a lively and optimistic work that contradicts the sorrow of losing such a promising young composer,” says Ochs. “Ally Christiansen, a recent Westminster graduate, will treat us to two late 18th-century love arias, and our concert concludes with Dvorak’s beautiful Symphony No. 6. We look forward to sharing all of these special works with our audience.”

Now in her 21st season as the WCO’s music director, Ochs has led the group in performances of major orchestral and choral-orchestral works. Under her leadership, the orchestra continues to feature ensembles, soloists, and alumni from the Westminster Conservatory and Westminster Choir College, as well as highlighting works by local and under-represented composers. She is currently a senior lecturer in the Princeton University Department of Music, where she is in her 24th season as the conductor of the Princeton University Sinfonia.

The Westminster Community Orchestra, now in its 39th season, includes members who are professional and amateur musicians from New Jersey and Pennsylvania who come from all walks of life but share a common goal: the desire to make wonderful music for themselves and their community.

Call (609) 921-7104 for more information.