Christmas Concert to feature carols

Tue, October 27, 2009 |

The annual Valparaiso University Christmas Concert, a campus holiday tradition for more than 80 years, will celebrate the Advent season with performances by the University's premier musical ensembles Dec. 4 and 5 in the Chapel of the Resurrection.

This year's concert, "A Carol Festival," will offer many arrangements of familiar carols and music of the Christmas season performed by students in the University's choral and instrumental ensembles.

"This year's Christmas Concert is intended to be an integrated festival of mostly carols, but not exclusively," said Dr. Christopher M. Cock, Duesenberg chair in Lutheran music and director of the Bach Institute at Valparaiso University (http://www.valpo.edu/bach).

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 and at 5 p.m. on Dec. 5. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens, and can be purchased by calling (219) 464-5162 or online at http://www.valpo.edu/vuca.

Hundreds of people from throughout Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area, along with the campus community, alumni and parents, make Valpo's Christmas Concert an annual part of their holiday celebrations.

The 90-minute event will include audience participation in the singing of carols and music from various combinations of the ensembles that will emanate from different parts of the Chapel.

"We want this to be a constantly flowing and interconnected musical experience," said Dr. Cock. "The audience will join the performers on several carols, including 'Joy to the World,' 'Silent Night' and 'O Come All Ye Faithful.' The concert also will feature a newly-composed 'French Carol Sequence' by Valpo's resident composer and orchestra conductor, Dr. Dennis Friesen-Carper."

Dr. Joseph Bognar, associate professor of music, will play the Chapel's renowned Reddel Memorial Organ. The organ will be featured in short carol-based improvisations throughout the concert, and Dr. Bognar will play his own organ toccata based on the carol "Angels We Have Heard on High."

Other pieces to be performed in the concert include Vaclav Nehlybel's "Estampie Natalis," Percy Grainger's "Sussex Mummers' Chiristmas Carol," Ernani Aguiar's "Acalanto para o Menino Jesus," J.C.F. Bach's "Gloria sei dir gesungen," Felix Mendelssohn's "Christus," Georges Bizet's "March of the Three Kings," Benjamin Britten's "The Little Babe" and Daniel Pinkham's "Gloria in exclesis deo."

Valpo's premier vocal and instrumental ensembles – the Chorale, Men's and Women's Choirs, Chamber Concert Band and Symphony Orchestra – will perform together and individually during the concert. Each of the ensembles has toured across the United States and internationally, and is featured on albums released by Valpo ArtsMedia (https://www.valpo.edu/store/xcart/home.php).

More information about the ensembles and Valpo's Department of Music is available online at http://www.valpo.edu/music.