Though our thermometers might not show it, the Yuletide season is upon us and it is high time for some cozy Christmas music to figuratively warm us up. This weekend, the Trinity music department will host their two annual Christmas performances to provide you with some much-needed holiday musical entertainment. Both concerts provide a different aspect of Christmas music to ring in the season.
The Christmas Concert will be held Friday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium. This concert aims to provide contemporary holiday cheer. With 13 songs and two sing-alongs, the concert will contain performances by all musical ensembles, including both choirs, the jazz and wind ensembles, the handbell ensemble and the Trinity Symphony Orchestra. Before the show, there will be songs sung by both the Trinitones and the Acabellas in the lobby, as wekk as a string quartet.
“When you ask people what their favorite Christmas song is, I find that they often have a favorite contemporary and a favorite traditional song,” said Hannah Susman, junior psychology major and member of Chamber Singers and Acabellas.
The Christmas Concert will also contain a few more multicultural songs, with the choir singing a song from Kenya and the wind symphony playing “Troika” by Russian composer Prokofiev. The handbell ensemble will also perform an arrangement of a French song. Towards the end of the show, there will also be a preview of the spring Choral Union concert, with the dual choirs combining with the orchestra. All of the groups will combine to perform “Jingle Bells.”
“The Christmas Concert showcases all different sides of the season,” said Gary Seighman, director of choral activities. “You get to see hundreds of students from every discipline on campus performing. That’s where I think it’s really impressive, just to see how many different students are involved.”
Candlelight Vespers is the longer-standing choral Christmas concert at Trinity and will be held on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. in Parker Chapel. This performance is the more formal of the two and does not vary as much year by year. The classics like “Silent Night” and “Come All Ye Faithful” will be performed alongside other hymns. There will also be readers, including university president Danny Anderson, reading passages of scripture.
“The beautiful aspect of Vespers is that when we’re about to sing ‘Silent Night,’ we hand out candles for people to hold,” said Enrique Garcia, junior international studies major and member of Trinity Choir. “It’s a wonderful way to bring in the Christmas season and is my favorite part each year.”
For both shows, it is recommended that you show up early to get a good seat and in order to fully experience the show. With the Christmas concert, you wouldn’t want to miss the Trinitones’ and Acabellas’ pre-concert performances in the lobby. With Candlelight Vespers, there will be prelude music starting at 5 p.m. and seats will fill up quickly. With past shows, there has been standing room only.
