Type: Exhibition case

Name: Rutgers College

Detail: Long before the foundation of Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University’s liberal arts colleges developed their own music departments and traditions. Although each school has a unique history ―Rutgers College was founded to train ministers for the Dutch Reformed Church, New Jersey College for Women was established to provide higher education for women, and Livingston College formed in response to the socio-political changes of the 1960s ― a shared passion of music united these various student bodies. This portion of On the Banks of the Raritan: Music at Rutgers and New Brunswick focuses on students and professors who participated in music from 1871, when the Rutgers College Chapel Choir formed, to 1981, when the music programs at Rutgers, Douglass, and Livingston College transferred to Mason Gross School of the Arts. Ultimately, it explores the history and tradition of music at Rutgers University and examines how music constructed a shared identity among the colleges.


When Queen’s College was chartered on November 10, 1766. Due to a lack of funding, a depressed economy, and the War of 1812, the college closed in 1795 and again in 1812. In 1825, Queen’s College reopened for good and was renamed Rutgers College in honor of trustee Colonel Henry Rutgers. In subsequent years, new degree programs in liberal arts, the sciences, mechanical arts, and agriculture were instituted to prepare students to live and work in a nation changed by the Industrial Revolution. The music department at Rutgers College was established in 1919 and headed by Howard D. McKinney. Classes were offered in instrumental and vocal studies as well as music theory, history, and appreciation. Additionally, a number of music clubs provided students with the opportunity to practice, hone, and enjoy their crafts with peers. These groups performed on campus, throughout New Jersey and the United States, and often collaborated with New Jersey College for Women music groups.

Type: Exhibition caption

Detail: The Rutgers College Chapel Choir formed in 1871 and is arguably the university’s first music group. In 1873, the choir moved into the newly built Kirkpatrick Chapel. There, the all-male ensemble sang during religious services, performed a yearly Christmas Series and spring concert, and collaborated with a number of college groups including the Rutgers University Glee Club and Voorhees Chapel Choir.

In 1953, the choir began to include New Jersey College for Women students. Two years later, David A. Drinkwater, a Rutgers College music faculty member and organist of Kirkpatrick Chapel, became the choir’s director—a position he held until 1998. Under his tenure, the choir continued to perform at religious services, began to perform a significant repertory of major choral orchestral masterworks, and was renamed the Kirkpatrick (Chapel) Choir.

The Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir is a part of Mason Gross School of the Arts. It is comprised of Mason Gross School of the Arts and Rutgers University students and its mission is to educate professional musicians through performance. The choir performs a significant repertory of choral orchestral masterworks, Baroque music accompanied by period instruments, important works of the 20th and 21st century, as well as the traditional yearly Christmas series.