Every year, the Music Department diligently produces two nearly sold-out Christmas performances at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. A Concordia Christmas is one of the most anticipated events of the entire year for the School of Arts and Sciences and one of the premier Christmas concerts in Southern California.

This year, “Emmanuel! A Concordia Christmas” will take the stage of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall on Dec. 13, with performances at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Serving as a cumulation of the Music Department’s numerous ensembles, the concert will include performances by the Concordia Wind and Symphony Orchestra, The Concordia Choir, Donne Di Canto, Men’s Chorus, The Master Chorale and Concordia’s acclaimed handbell ensembles.

With over 200 student performers, producing “Emmanuel! A Concordia Christmas” is a substantial task for the faculty and staff. The repertoire is organized and directed under the leadership of Dr. Michael Busch, Dr. Jeff Held, Dr. Daniel Wessler and Erik Der.

This year, “Emmanuel! A Concordia Christmas” consists of arrangements of familiar hymns, traditional Christmas carols, selections from holiday movie soundtracks and new compositions by Concordia faculty. 

For junior Computer Science major Anthony Reynafarje, his favorite work in the concert is the choral and orchestral piece “Pat-A-Pan.” “It is the most rhythmically interesting piece that we have. There is a sense of excitement, playfulness and joy that Jesus is born,” said Reynafarje. 

Senior Church Music major Olivia Theolke is completing her final Concordia Christmas concert as a cellist and shared her excitement about the orchestral works featured in this concert. “I really like ‘Ring Joyfully, God with Us.’ It is a really cool melding of ‘Carol of the Bells’ and ‘O Come O Come Emmanuel.’ It ties in with the theme of the concert really well,” said Theolke. 

Not only do the Concordia Christmas concerts enhance the performance opportunities and skills of music students, but they also create lasting memories for them. “I am going to miss performing for such a big audience with high spirits. I am a member of the orchestra and choir, and this is one of the few experiences where I get to do both… I will miss preparing for something as big as this and performing it twice,” said Theolke.

When asked what words he would give to a Concordia Christmas audience member, Reynafarje replied, “Be a part of it. You may not be on stage with us, but you are one hundred percent a part of it because this concert is all about Jesus.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit https://www.scfta.org/events/2025/emmanuel-a-concordia-christmas. Tickets begin at $22.60 and are expected to sell out quickly. Please note that there are no Concordia student discounts available for this performance. 

Tags: music, Alexander Carr, choir, Handbells

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