Free Concert: The William & Mary College Choirs in Bratislava

The William & Mary College Choirs
31 May, 2026 | 19:00
Free admission

The William & Mary Choir and the Botetourt Chamber Singers present a vibrant and compelling program that showcases the breadth, artistry, and expressive power of today’s choral performance. Led by Dr. Mark Helms, Musical Director, and joined by Dr. Bryan Holten, pianist and organist, these distinguished ensembles bring together gifted student singers in a program spanning centuries, styles, and traditions. The repertoire includes beloved masterworks and spirited folk settings by Billings, Schütz, Byrd, Bach, Rheinberger, Vaughan Williams, Mendelssohn, and Martinů, alongside deeply moving American and global selections such as Shenandoah, My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord, Great God Almighty, Alleluia Azania, and Ndikhokhele Bawo. With music ranging from luminous sacred works to vibrant contemporary expressions, this concert offers an inspiring and memorable celebration of choral excellence.

In partnership with ChoralSpace

An Anthem for Thanksgiving | William Billings
A Prayer of the Middle Ages | Howard Hanson
Die mit Tränen säen | Heinrich Schütz
Her Beacon-Hand Beckons | Caroline Shaw
Two Czech Folksongs | Zdenék Lukáš
Bright Morning Stars | Traditional Appalaichain folksong, arr. Shawn Kirchner
My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord | Traditional spiritual arr. Moses Hogan
Shenandoah | Traditional American folksong, arr. James Erb
Sing Joyfully | William Byrd
Abendlied | Josef Rheinberger
Gloria from Mass in G Minor | Ralph Vaughan Williams
Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden | Johann Sebastian Bach
Five Czech Madrigals | Bohuslav Martinů
Great God Almighty | Traditional spiritual, Stacey V. Gibbs
Alleluia Azania | Sabelo Mthembu
Sechs Lieder, op. 59, 3–6 | Felix Mendelssohn
Ndikhokhele Bawo | Traditional South African song, arr. Michael Barrett

The William & Mary Choir, under the direction of Dr. Mark Helms, is an undergraduate ensemble of fifty members majoring in a wide array of disciplines. Their repertoire includes music from the Western European choral tradition as well as from choral traditions around the world. American music, particularly folk music of the southern United States, and new works commissioned especially for the W&M Choir are regular features of our programs.

Each year the Choir makes more than thirty appearances. It sings at most of the formal events of the College, including Convocation, Homecoming, Sunset Ceremony, Yule Log, Charter Day, and Commencement. Additional major events are the Winter and Spring Concerts at the end of each semester shared with the Barksdale Treble Chorus and the Botetourt Chamber Singers. Every third year the Choir performs a major work from the choral/orchestral repertory. Past performances include Orff’s Carmina Burana, J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, Joseph Haydn’s The Creation and Lord Nelson Mass, and Lars-Erik Larsson’s A God Disguised.

The Choir undertakes an annual five-day regional Spring Tour and also sings abroad every third year. Since 1999 the Choir has performed in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Turkey and in 2017 traveled to South Africa. The Choir has performed twice for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II—most recently in 2007—and was one of four choirs invited to perform in concert with the United States Marine Band at the 1997 Presidential Inaugural on the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C.

The Botetourt Chamber Singers was formed in 1974 by Dr. Frank T. Lendrim. Originally an auditioned subset of the W&M Choir, it now stands as a separate entity and affirms some of the college’s best vocal talent. The Bots, under the direction of Dr. Michelle Kwok, continue to perform in and around Williamsburg for such popular events as Grand Illumination and caroling in Colonial Williamsburg, as well as many W&M sponsored events. The Bots have been invited to perform at the Virginia State Music Educators Association Convention in 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2016. They were also invited to perform at the VA All-State Choral event in 2016. The summer of 2005 marked the Bots first International Tour (with the W&M Choir) and they have since performed in Romania, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia; Spain, Portugal, and Morocco; Italy, Greece, and Turkey; Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland, and South Africa. The ensemble sings a wide variety of choral literature from the Renaissance through contemporary works, including a full concert of jazz and Broadway standards at their annual Gala Concert Fundraiser in the Kimball Theater each February. They have released 3 CDs including “Something Olde, Something New”, “Sing We Joyous, All Together” and “All My Heart This Night Rejoices” and have recorded a new CD celebrating their 50th anniversary.

To learn more about The William & Mary college choirs, visit https://choir.pages.wm.edu/ and https://bots.pages.wm.edu/.

Dr. Mark Helms is the newly appointed Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor of Music and Interim Director of Choirs at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where he conducts the William & Mary Choir, leads the Ebony Expressions Gospel Choir, and teaches academic courses in music. Dr. Helms is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting. At Maryland, he served as primary conductor of the University Chorale, assistant conductor of the UMD Chamber Singers, chorus master for the Maryland Opera Studio, instructor of undergraduate conducting courses, and assisted in the preparation of choruses for the Baltimore and National Symphony Orchestras. His dissertation research at Maryland focused on shifting choral repertoire programming trends following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Helms previously conducted church, community, and collegiate ensembles in Pennsylvania for six years. There, he served as Director of Choral Activities and Liturgical Music at DeSales University, where he conducted three choral ensembles and oversaw music for all on-campus liturgies and ceremonial events, and as Director of Music and the Arts at Doylestown Presbyterian Church, where he oversaw a comprehensive music ministry involving nearly 200 participants of all ages. In 2021, he received the Outstanding Young Conductor Award from the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Choral Directors Association in recognition of his work in the state. Dr. Helms is also a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and of Furman University, and has studied conducting with Jason Max Ferdinand, Edward Maclary, David Neely, William Weinert, Brad Lubman, and Hugh Ferguson Floyd.

Dr. Michelle Kwok is a conductor, singer, and music educator from Hong Kong. She was named the 2nd runner-up of the 2024 American Prize in Conducting: The Dale Warland Award. Kwok has led performances in Italy, the United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Previous appointments include Director of the Indiana University Chorale and treble ensemble Pro Cantare, and Assistant Conductor of the Westminster Schola Cantorum & Chapel Choir. She has taught courses in undergraduate conducting and music theory. Kwok is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the award-winning community choir, Fluente Chorus. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor at The College of William & Mary, where she directs the Botetourt Chamber Singers and the Barksdale Treble Chorus.

Dr. Bryan Holten, collaborative pianist and organist, is an experienced performer and church musician with a long record of service in organizations of all sizes. He currently serves full-time as Director of Music and Organist at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House in Alexandria, VA.

Bryan is a recipient of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied organ performance and literature with David Higgs, Michel Bouvard, and Edoardo Bellotti. He also studied organ improvisation and harpsichord with William Porter and Edoardo Bellotti. In 2014, he received the Jim Cochran Recital Award, which recognizes the player of an outstanding degree recital in the school’s department of Organ and Historical Keyboards.

From 2015 to 2021, Bryan lived and worked in Southeastern Pennsylvania. These roles included Associate Minister of Music at Wayne Presbyterian Church (2015-2017), Organist at College Hill Presbyterian Church, Easton (2017-2021), and Artist-Lecturer in Organ and Accompanist for Choirs at Moravian University, Bethlehem (2018-2021).

Alongside his service to the church, Bryan enjoys freelance work in teaching, performing, and accompanying. He is also a novice piano technician and member of the Piano Technicians Guild.

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