Night of stars
English Translation by Richard Stokes
Princeton Boychoir develops boys into confident young men of character, through inspired training in singing, music education, and leadership, who share their musical excellence within the community and beyond.
Launched in Fall 2017, PBC has become the premier extracurricular vocal program for boys in the region. PBC is composed of boys from third through twelfth grade, who are placed by audition in one of our three ensembles: Apprentice Choir, Treble Choir, and the Young Men’s Ensemble. Singers are placed by ability, matching each boy with the choir that best suits his vocal, artistic, and musicianship level. In addition to striving for musical excellence, choristers in Princeton Boychoir grow in maturity, self-discipline, focus, and leadership.
Although the Boychoir grew from its sister organization, Princeton Girlchoir, and the two choirs share many traits, there is a unique spirit when “boys’ night” starts every Thursday. Led by Fred Meads, former Director of Vocal Studies at the American Boychoir School and nine-year veteran with Princeton Girlchoir, each chorister in Princeton Boychoir strives to be an outstanding musician while developing a sense of poise and self-confidence through education and performance, challenging him to tap into the best part of who he is and what he can accomplish.
Now in its fifth anniversary season, the boychoir has already performed numerous concerts in the Princeton area and beyond. They have sung at the Baltimore Boychoir Festival, International Boy’s and Men’s Choral Festival in Arizona and will travel to Europe in 2022. Princeton Boychoir is part of Westrick Music Academy, home to choirs, music classes and summer camps for musicians from kindergarten through High School.
Apprentice Choir
Oluwakafemomi Akinyanmi
Zoheb Ansari
Nevin Benjamin
Brennan Clissold
Liam Djordjevic
Tyler Levy
Karl Liao
Anirudh Maramraju
Thomas Teti
Treble Choir
Ryan Bole
Michael Chorba
James Dolenti
Krishna Iyer
Geoffrey Leonard
Samuel Leonard
Jeffrey Liu
Liam Mcwha
Aidan Ni
Sebastian Roden
Harris Rothschild
Jayen Shah
Ethan Shlossberg
Asher Silverman
Chakra Sreekanth
Evan Strain
Karthik Subramaniyam
James Teti
Lewis Wasden
Young Men Ensemble
Akash Bhowmick
Connor Bowden
Barron Brothers
Giancarlo Crapanzano
Neel Das
Jonathan Eaton
Peter Eaton
Jack Elliott
Yiming Huang
David Willard Johnson
Casey Kuma
Clement Lacroix
Han Li
Daniel Mao
Adarsh Nambiar
Braedon Owen
Zachary White
Eric Yang
Congratulations to our Graduating Seniors!
* Barron Brothers, Hopewell Valley Central High School
Jonathan Eaton, The Pennington School
Eric Yang, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
* Founding member of Princeton Boychoir
Lynnel Joy Jenkins is Artistic Director of Westrick Music Academy and Choral Teacher at Timberlane Middle School of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. At Westrick Music Academy, Dr. Jenkins conducts advanced groups, Princeton Girlchoir Ensemble and Concert Choir. She is a choral educator of international stature, having lectured and conducted choral festivals or music programs in Switzerland, China, Hong Kong, Iceland, and South Africa. Nationally, she has conducted honor choruses for one national, four regional, and several state conferences for American Choral Directors Association, two national conferences for OAKE, and numerous All-State choruses. Jenkins has earned degrees from Westminster Choir College (B.M.), Temple University (M.M.), and University of Arizona (D.M.A.), and at the first two institutions was awarded the Elaine Brown Conducting Award.
Fred Meads (PBC Music Director, WMA Education Director, Treble Choir and Young Men’s Ensemble) has been director of choirs in public and private schools, churches and at the collegiate level for the past twenty-five years. He currently serves as Director of Children and Youth Choirs at Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. Most recently he was Director of Vocal Studies at the American Boychoir School and served as Artistic Director of the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir in Fort Wayne, IN before moving to New Jersey. He has conducted honor and all-state choirs in Wyoming, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Nebraska, Ohio and Oklahoma. In 2017 and 2011, he conducted the OAKE National Children’s Honor Choirs. In 2014, he served as guest conductor for the Northwest ACDA Children’s Honor Choir.
Internationally, he traveled to Hong Kong to present choral workshops for music educators. Fred has presented workshops for IMEA, ACDA, OAKE and Westminster Choir College. Each summer he teaches in the Kodaly program at Westminster Choir College. Fred received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Ithaca College, NY and the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He completed his Kodály training at Capital University in Columbus, OH.
François Suhr (Associate Director, Apprentice Choir) is the choral and general music teacher at Monmouth Junction and Constable Elementary Schools of the South Brunswick School District. During the summer, he acts as the professor of musicianship classes for the Kodály certification and Masters degree program at the American Kodály Institute at Loyola University Maryland. It is from this institution that François earned his Kodály certification and Master of Education in Kodály Music Education. He also holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University
In addition to teaching, François works as a pianist and music director for many different community theatres throughout the state of New Jersey most recently completing projects at the Villager’s Theatre, Kelsey Theatre and with Phoenix Productions.
Tyler Weakland (Assistant to the PBC Music Director) Praised for his verve and adroit collaborative piano playing by the Charleston City Paper, Tyler Weakland is a vocal coach, conductor, composer, and pianist. He accompanies voice students at Mannes School of Music of the New School in New York City. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in Sacred Music with concentrations in piano and voice from Westminster Choir College, where he studied with Steve Pilkington, J.J. Penna, Ingrid Clarfield, and Kathy Price. An experienced choral accompanist, Mr. Weakland has worked extensively with the choirs of Westminster Choir College, performing at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, and the Kimmel Center. He’s worked closely with James Jordan, Joe Miller, Amanda Quist, Charles Bruffy, Weston Noble, Dalton Baldwin, Benita Valente, Sharon Sweet, and Laquita Mitchell. Recent conducting and orchestrating credits include a Disney TV pilot for Hulu, and his compositions and arrangements have been heard across the country, specifically his new art songs. Mr. Weakland has conducted choirs in Vienna, and Oxford as part of the Choral Music Institute where he studied the boychoir tradition in churches of the United Kingdom. While a member of the renowned Westminster Choir, Mr. Weakland enjoyed several residencies at the Spoleto Festival USA and was a member of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra. In addition to working with the Princeton Boychoir, he currently serves as the Handbell and Children’s Choir Director at Christ Church United Methodist on 60th and Park Avenue in NYC.
Princeton Boychoir and Westrick Music Academy wishes to thank the following individuals and organizations for making today’s concert possible:
- New Jersey State Council on the Arts
- Discover Jersey Arts
- Princeton Area Community Foundation
- Princeton Meadow Liquid Church: Eryn Mera, Mercer County Campus Pastor
- Briann Dixon Videography, LLC
- The volunteers and donors who make concerts like this one possible – thank you!
Board of Directors
Michael Wasden, President
Archana Pradhan, MD, MPH, President-Elect
Mark J. Badros, Treasurer
Daniela M. Phayme, Secretary
Tasneem Hajara
Xiaobing Li
Frederick A. Pettit, Esq.
Eeraj J. Qaisar
Laura Fenster Rothschild, PsyD
Raegan M. Ruiz
Carolyn Sauer
Joan A. Valcin
Jason Vodicka, DMA
Lynnel Joy Jenkins, DMA, Ex Officio
Hilary K. Butler, Ex Officio
Advisory Board
S. Tina Biswas
Carol Burden
Jordan M. Corn
Patricia Cornet
Barbara Burke DiCostanzo
James M. Jordan
Peter F. Kelly, Esq., Legal Advisor
Beth Nichols
Janet H. Perkins
Alice Teti
Jan A. Westrick
Princeton Boychoir Staff
Lynnel Joy Jenkins, DMA, Artistic Director
Hilary K. Butler, Executive Director
Fred Meads, Music & Education Director
François Suhr, Associate Director
Tyler Weakland, Assistant to the PBC Music Director
Rachel DiBlasio, Operations Manager
Carolyn Sienicki, Development & Communications Director
Blanca Gonzalez, Office Manager
Leigh Huber, Conducting Fellow
Akash Bhowmick, Apprentice Choir Intern
Peter Eaton, Apprentice Choir Intern
Connor Bowden, Treble Choir Intern
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to help keep Princeton Boychoir singing.
