Christmas at Luther

"Christmas at Luther: Night of Glory, Dawn of Peace," the 27th annual Luther College Christmas concert, was this weekend. The five performances were sold out.

Granted so much has changed since I graduated in 19...never mind that's not the important part! :-) Here are some fond memories from my participation in Juletide Fest (now Christmas at Luther):

• Driving back to Luther from Thanksgiving with family at home in order to be on time for Sunday evening dress rehearsal
• All of the logistics and choreography involved to make the concert look seamless
• Our freshman year when then Pike Kor (now Aurora) opened the concert with "Before the Marvel of This Night;" I still get chills
• When we were at Luther, I think we only had two or three performances of Christmas at Luther; however, we also performed Handel's Messiah once or twice
• Performing Silent Night in a candlelit auditorium
• A finale composed by John Rutter that we learn from a faxed copy
• The absolutely indescribable sound of singing with a mass choir of more than 500 voices

Luther is a very special community. I have rarely heard anyone else talk with such fondness about their college experience, the friends they made and those they still stay in contact with, than I have with other fellow Luther alums. Thanks for letting me reminisce!

Here's information about this year's Christmas at Luther. Perhaps you can catch this year's broadcast on one of the many public television station:

More than 600 Luther student musicians present traditional holiday carols and sacred Christmas choral anthems, performing in one of the nation's top college concert halls, the Luther Center for Faith and Life.

The concert includes performances by Nordic Choir under the direction of Craig Arnold, Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Baldwin, Cantorei under the direction of Linda Martin, Christmas Brass and Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Frederick Nyline, Cathedral Choir and Aurora under the direction of Sandra Peter, Collegiate Chorale and Norsemen under the direction of Timothy Peter, Luther Ringers under the direction of Gregory Peterson, and the Christmas Flutes.

Organist is Gregory Peterson, and faculty accompanists include Du Huang and Xiao Hu, piano; Juan Tony Guzman, guitar; and Jacquelyn Venter Ridder, harp. Ann Sponberg Petersion is the narrator, and the narration was written by Carol Gilbertson.

Each year, more than 6,500 people attend the Christmas at Luther performances on the Luther campus. The concert has been broadcast on almost 100 public television stations in 25 states, and it is broadcast annually on public radio.
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