Concordia’s annual Christmas concert is returning on Sun., Dec. 15 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 pm at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. This year's concert is titled “Come and See” which shares the hope and joy that Christmas brings as people reflect upon the birth of Christ. 

The Christmas concert is one of the Music Department’s largest events, involving the orchestra, choirs and handbells, which shows the strength of the Music program. The Concordia Christmas concert is also filmed every year to be shown on PBS as an award-winning Christmas special.

“The fact that parts of this performance will be recorded to be included in the PBS special next year is always exciting. These concerts are a rewarding opportunity to share the efforts of Concordia’s Music Department with the nation and around the world,” said junior Annelise Jackson. Jackson is preparing for her third Segerstrom concert as a part of Concordia Choir. 

Prior to the concert, there will be a reception inviting prospective students to meet Concordia faculty and students before seeing the immense depth of the acclaimed Music Department. As past attendees noted, Concordia’s dedication to the meaning of Christmas and its commitment to the arts was apparent during every minute of the reception and the concert. 

“Come and See” will feature instrumental ensembles, including the Concordia Symphony Orchestra, directed by Dr. Jeff Held and two handbell choirs: Spirit Bells, directed by Erik Der, and Concert Handbells, directed by Alex Guebert. 

Held said that his favorite piece in the concert is composed by Guebert and is “an amazing new piece called ‘Come and See the Shining Star’ for orchestra, chorus and handbells…that ends in a huge, glorious sound on the words ‘angels singing.’ This all is extra-meaningful to me personally as my family commissioned this setting in memory of my dad, who passed away this year. He was a great church musician, and he loved using that hymn tune.” 

In regards to choral music to expect at this year's concert, the repertoire ranges from John William’s “Home Alone,” familiar carols and hymns, to newer arrangements, including work from the Director of Commercial Music, Steve Young. The musical selections of the concert are sure to delight audiences.

Beyond the work of Concordia’s orchestra and handbell ensembles, the choral ensembles, under the direction of Dr. Michael Busch and Dr. Clarissa Shan, put forth valiant efforts to prepare for Concordia Christmas. With singers across Concordia Choir, The Master Chorale, Donne Di Canto and Men’s Chorus, the success of the concert is also reliant on their voices uplighting praises through the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and to larger audiences from across the world. 

For freshman commercial music and composition major Genesea Davis, the most exciting piece to bring to life is Young’s composition entitled “Upon This Night.” “I’m really excited for our choir to bring ‘Upon This Night’ to audiences this year. It has been a lot of fun preparing and recording one of your own director’s pieces. It is beautifully composed,” said Davis. 

Senior Caleb Vaughan, a member of the Wind Orchestra and Spirit Bells, in addition to two choral ensembles, is looking forward to his second Concordia Christmas concert. He said, “My first Christmas concert was last year, and I had a blast doing it. My favorite part has to be hearing everything come together; the full orchestra with a choir of over one hundred, in the big Segerstrom concert hall really is something magical.” 

While Concordia may be a smaller university in size, the sounds of Concordia Christmas are robust and impactful to a wide audience. In prior years, rehearsals for this concert were held in the CU Center to accommodate the hundreds of musicians. However, due to the ongoing CU Center renovation project, the Music Department has demonstrated great creativity in gathering large amounts of musicians in either the Borland-Manske Center’s Choral Hall and even the Student Union Cafeteria. This year's rehearsal process has proven that with great creativity a stellar concert and efficient rehearsals can still happen. 

“Come and See! A Concordia Christmas” will take place on Dec. 15 at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, with a sold-out performance at 4 p.m., and an evening performance at 7:30 p.m. To purchase remaining tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance, please visit https://www.scfta.org/events/2024/concordia-christmas . Please note that Concordia student discounts do not apply to this concert. 

Tags: Alexander Carr

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