Amanda Summers – copy editor. Freezing winter winds and holiday lights mark the end of the semester at Linfield. Another sign that Fall Semester is coming to a close is the annual Christmas choral concert, which took place Dec. 9.
“I really appreciate that Anna [Song] made the concert thematic with the overlying theme of snow,” junior Helen Kehoe said. “It’s also nice to hear different arrangements of traditional Christmas songs.”
The program began with Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Zion Hört Die Wächter Singen,” performed by the Wildcat Men’s Glee Club. This work, like many of Bach’s, had a rich organ accompaniment, making use of the frequently silent organ in Ice Auditorium.
Next, the glee club performed “Sleighbells,” a Ukrainian folk tune arranged by Earlene Rentz.
“Sing We Noel,” a traditional French carol, was performed jointly by the glee club and the Women’s Vocal Ensemble.
The ensemble then sang “The Snow,” written by Edward Elgar. The piece featured violin/viola instructor Vicki Gunn and freshman Sarah Hansen on violin. The music was light and airy, similar to snow itself.
The Women’s Vocal Ensemble next performed “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” The music was lively and spirited, just like a child with a shiny new pony.
The audience was encouraged to participate in the next piece, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” a traditional English carol. As the song began, the Women’s Vocal Ensemble filed offstage while singing. Anna Song, assistant professor of music and choral director, who conducted the group, turned to face the audience to direct them. During the fourth verse of the song, the Linfield Concert Choir came to the stage.
The Linfield Concert Choir then performed Harold Darke’s “In The Bleak Mid Winter.” The large ensemble produced a full, rich sound throughout its performance.
Creating the music did not come easily, however.
“We prepared the Schubert Mass in G for the chamber orchestra concert, which didn’t leave us much time for our holiday music,” freshman Beth Turner said. “However, everyone worked hard and pulled it together for tonight. We really made music.”
The following piece was “The Blessed Son of God,” by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
“Snow (The King’s Trumpeter),” composed by John Muehleisen, featured sophomore Lynn Robinson on the trumpet. The vocal parts began with dissonance before giving way to the solo trumpet. After a lovely, pure-as-snow trumpet solo, the choir came back full force while the brass melody weaved in and out for the remainder of the piece.
Next on the program was Tomás Luis de Victoria’s “O Magnum Mysterium,” followed by “Personent Hodie,” a 14th-century carol with a strong organ accompaniment.
For the final two pieces of the program, the vocal groups performed together. They began singing “Christmas Night,” a tune from Arbeau’s “Orchésographie.” To end the concert, the audience was encouraged to join in for “Joy To The World,” by Lowell Mason.