Many colleges offer a Christmas or holiday concert; however, there are four colleges in particular that provide a magical musical experience. These concert are usually inexpensive but offer a festive account of the holidays.
Concordia College Christmas Concert
A small college in the Midwest comes alive at Christmas time. Concordia College in Minnesota presents one of the foremost holiday concerts in the nation. With a blend of singing, instruments, and extraordinary lighting, the concert offers the audience a sensory and warmth of holiday spirit.
The concerts began in 1927 by the college’s music teacher and have expanded year to year. The concert integrates individual and group performances from the Concordia Choir, the Concordia Orchestra, and select choirs. With a gloriously commissioned backdrop and precise lighting, the concert provides the audience a joyful experience. Tickets usually sell for around $12; however, for those who are unable to attend, the school sells DVD and audio recordings. In the past the Public Broadcast System and National Public Radio (NPR) have aired the concerts during the holidays.
St. Olaf Christmas Festival
Minnesota offers a friendly rivalry between two colleges and their Christmas Concerts: Concordia College and St. Olaf. St. Olaf has a longer tradition of concerts and was started by F. Melius Christiansen. Coincidently, it was his son, Paul J. Christiansen that put Concordia College Christmas Concerts in the spotlight.
Tickets for St. Olaf College's Christmas Festival sell out yearly. The event offers the audience a conservative melody of Christmas hymns and carols. The choir presents hymns from around the world, including the native language of the hymns. The fiver choir ensemble and college orchestra make up the players.
Luther College Christmas Concert
Luther College, located in Iowa, is a premiere college for music seeking majors. With this amount of talent, the Christmas Concert at the college is a true experience. The school gathers 600 students within the choir, orchestra, and bass/percussion groups to put on this renowned concert.
Luther's Christmas Concert reflects its strong Lutheran tradition. The concert is filled with carols and holiday hymns. The concert also integrates string lights to create a holiday glow. Students also use traditional candlelight to provide a holy ambiance.
Spelman-Morehouse Christmas Carol Concert
Atlanta comes alive every December when the choirs of the all female college of Spelman and all male college of Morehouse join to create the Christmas Carol Concert. A perennial favorite of NPR, the combined college glee clubs promote musical genres of traditional carols and cultural spirituals. Compositions of these genres are injected with a flavor of gospel style. The Carol Concert is free to the public.
College Christmas concerts are a great way to celebrate the season of the holiday. Most concerts are free to low cost and offer audiences a taste of undergraduate student talent and expert conducting. Most of the colleges mentioned in this article offer tickets to their event, which usually are difficult to obtain. Because of the colleges’ exceptional talent, many public radio and television stations will broadcast the event.
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