The Lenoir-Rhyne College A Cappella Choir performs in St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church of Hickory.

LENOIR-RHYNE COLLEGE TO PRESENT ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT

The Lenoir-Rhyne College School of Fine Arts will present its annual “Christmas at Lenoir-Rhyne” concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4-5 at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, located at 629 8^th St. NE in Hickory.

The concert is free and open to the public. A lighting ceremony for the college’s two large Christmas trees will follow the Dec. 5 concert. The program will be the same for both nights and will feature many of the college’s musical ensembles, including the A Cappella Choir and College Singers directed by Dr. Paul Weber, associate professor of church music and director of choral activities.

Also performing will be the Lenoir-Rhyne Youth Chorus, Florence Jowers, founder and conductor. Others on the program include the Handbell Ensemble, directed by Jo Carol Thomason; the Saxophone Ensemble, directed by David Kirby; the Women’s Ensemble, conducted by Florence Jowers; and Bradley Icard, a percussion major who will perform a marimba solo arrangement of the popular “Carol of the Bells.

Both the Sacred Music Program and the Youth Chorus are celebrating their 10th anniversary this academic year.  The Youth Chorus Minnesingers will perform two spirituals on Monday evening and the Youth Chorus Meistersingers and Chamber Singers will sing three selections on Tuesday evening, including Rutter’s “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day” and “In dulci jubilo” by the early Lutheran composer, Michael Praetorius.

The Handbell Ensemble will perform two carol arrangements and the Saxophone Ensemble will contribute a jazz carol as well as an arrangement of  “O magnum mysterium” of the renaissance Spanish composer, Cristobal de Morales.

New to the program this year will be the Women’s Ensemble, which will perform “Angels’ Carol” by Rutter and the French carol, “Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabelle,” arranged by Stephen Mager.

The second half of the program will feature psalms, lessons, and music of the season by the A Cappella Choir and College Singers. The selections performed will highlight both American and Baltic music since the A Cappella Choir will tour the Baltic States in May 2007.  Two modern American composers, Morton Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre, will be featured in “O nata lux” and “Lux Aurumque,” respectively.  The sublime anthem, “The Three Kings,” by Canadian composer, Healey Willan, and Mack Wilberg’s tender “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” will be counterbalanced by the exuberance of William Dawson’s spiritual, “Ain’–a That Good News!”  From the Baltic repertoire, the A Cappella Choir will perform a setting of Psalm 104 by the esteemed 20^th century Estonian composer, Cyrillus Kreek and a setting of Psalm 96, “Cantate Domino,” by the leading Lithuanian choral composer, Vytautas Miskinis.

In addition, the College Singers will perform “Beatus vir” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to commemorate the 250^th year of the composer’s death.  Accompanist for this work will be Jeana Neal Borman, staff accompanist in the School of Fine Arts.

 The audience will be invited to join in singing several carols. The program will close with the A Cappella Choir performing four pieces in candlelight, including Bob Chilcott’s emotive, “God So Loved the World,” with soprano soloist, Chelsie Propst, and the choir’s signature piece, “O Day Full of Grace,” by F. Melius Christiansen.  For more information about “Christmas at Lenoir-Rhyne,” please call 828-328-7149.