After three years since the last appearance at Segerstrom Hall, Concordia’s choir and orchestra returned to the stage to perform. On Mon., Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. over a thousand audience members arrived to listen to “Repeat the Sounding Joy.” 

Collectively, the choir and orchestra had 175 individuals performing. The stirring performances were directed by Music faculty Dr. Jeff Held, Dr. Michael Busch, Dr. Clarissa Shan and Dr. Tom Mueller. The audience enjoyed familiar Christmas songs like “Noel” and “Silent Night,” as well as the lesser-known medieval Latin carols and handbell performances. 

“The Concordia Christmas concerts have become one of Orange County's best Christmas concerts,” said Held, “We are committed to a message of Christ incarnate in our music and text selections and are proud to bring it to one of the finest concert halls in the nation.”  

“My favorite piece to listen to was ‘Wake, Awake, All Ye Faithful,’ because of the jazz improv section towards the end,” said Natalie Younger, sophomore and member of Concordia Symphony Orchestra and Concert Handbells. “The performers did a great job and the unpredictability of that section made it a pleasant surprise which ended up being the highlight of the concert.”

The night began with a word from President Michael Thomas who shared the real meaning of joy behind the music. “We rejoice even more over the message of Christmas,” Thomas said, “For God in His great love and compassion for us sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this dark and hopeless world to bring light, hope and joy to all people of the world.” He added, “Concordia’s talented musicians and directors are privileged to share this message with you in wondrous and delightful ways during this concert.” 

Joanna Shaw, a sophomore and a violinist in the orchestra, said, “Dr. Thomas’s speech at the beginning of the night made me excited to play because the message of Christmas is the reason behind our joyful playing.” Reese Rountree, a senior who attended the concert, agreed with Shaw and said, “The concert is a beautiful magnification of Christ’s glory.” Even though Shaw and Rountree had different roles at the concert, both had the same impression from the performance: Joy! 

Shaw added, “There’s nothing sweeter than being a part of a group working together to proclaim Jesus through musical songs. As I looked out into the crowd at the faces and heard the thunderous applause, it reminded me of the joy that is to come in Heaven for those who believe in Jesus.” The evening was meaningful for Shaw as her grandparents from Illinois attended. They shared that the concert was “worth flying halfway across the country for.” 

Within the thousand audience members that attended, many were Concordia students. Senior Jaylen Newman, senior Kesslor O’Brien, Megan Auringer and Grace Smith shared that their favorite part of the concert was the handbells. Smith said, “I was really impressed by the handbells.” She added, “It was great to see how energetic Daniel Ujifusa was when he was playing the handbells.” 

The hard work and emotion put into the performance was recognized by many audience members. Kirstie Skogerboe ‘21, a Concordia staff member for the online writing lab, said,

“The choir members are so expressive themselves which makes me as an audience member not want to take my eyes off of them.” She added, “Other instruments like the percussion allowed me to follow the music without even thinking.” 

Many performers felt an additional level of importance placed on this particular performance. “Since Concordia last performed at Segerstrom three years ago, I think that there was a lot of pressure on us to represent the student body and show that we are still able to present a high-quality Christmas concert worthy of the incredible space at Segerstrom,” said John Trinklein, sophomore and member of Concordia Symphony Orchestra. “I know there was a lot of anticipation among the ensembles to share the wonderful selection of pieces that were chosen for this concert. Dr. Held and Dr. Busch both gave us amazing guidance leading up to this concert, and the outcome of the ensembles is due to their amazing encouragement. I am so blessed to be learning from them,” Trinklein added.

Held praised the student musicians and vocalists who rose to meet the moment. “Our students are certainly at a level worthy of such a space and it is fun and meaningful to see so many families, friends and new friends coming together to celebrate the birth of Christ. It is a great blessing to be a part of such a joyful event!”

Tags: Donne Di Conto, Alexander Carr, Symphony Orchestra, Men's Chorus, Women's Chorus

---

About Jason St. Pierre

More articles by Jason St. Pierre