By Bria Isaacson, News Editor
Three Christmas concerts graced the ears of Asbury University students and faculty this year: the Christmas music chapel on Nov. 30, a Christmas music concert in the morning of Dec. 1 and Songs of the Season on the evening of Dec. 1.
For the Christmas music chapel, the concert band, Men’s Glee Club and women’s choir performed in Hughes.
This year, the chapel was slightly different than the usual Christmas chapel, as women’s choir does not usually perform in this concert, according to Women’s Choir Director Jill Campbell.
“It’s an honor and privilege to sing for our Asbury student body,” Campbell said. “We don’t always sing [at] this concert, but we are this year and are happy to do so.”
Women’s choir sang a Nigerian piece called “Ogo ni fun Oluwa” with percussionists junior Brenden Moore, sophomore Aaron Klein and Professor Mary Ann Wilder. They also sang “Christmas Lullaby” by John Rutter, a piece with senior Andrea Dunlap accompanying on piano.
For the Christmas music concert, the jazz ensemble and hand bell choir performed in the student center.
They played many Christmas classics, such as “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Joel Raney, “O Tannenbaum” by Kevin McElrath, “Jingle Bell Rock” by Sondra Tucker and a medley of other Christmas songs.
This was the first time that these particular ensembles have performed a Christmas concert in the Student Center, according to Jazz Ensemble Director Glen Flanigan.
For Songs of the Season, orchestra and chorale performed and the English faculty presented readings in Hughes.
English Professor Daniel Strait, who often reads a piece at Songs of the Season, read a passage from T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral. He chose this passage from the Archbishop’s sermon on Christmas because the section “offers a really rich picture of the historic Christian faith—and seems to insist that, as Christians, we need a historical consciousness as people of faith,” as Strait said.
In addition to this and other readings by the English faculty, Chorale sang “E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come” by Paul O. Manz, “Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming” by Michael Praetorius, “For Unto Us a Child is Born” by G. F. Handel, which they performed with the orchestra, and “Gesù Bambino” by Pietro Yon.
This concert was a special concert, as the chorale and orchestra have not performed together for the last couple of years, according to Chorale Director Vicki Bell.
At each of these concerts, the goal was the same.
As Campbell said, “We would like for our fellow Asburians to find a moment of peace, some excitement and some time to remember the great sacrifice that the Lord made for us by not only being born as a baby but also coming with the purpose to die for our sins. I pray that we would sing to honor our king and to thank God for coming to us.”