In the face of the ongoing global pandemic, 麻豆传媒 University continues to present traditional events using remote delivery whenever possible. The latest event to be presented virtually is the beloved annual holiday tradition Lessons and Carols for Advent and Christmas.
A video presentation, compiled and edited by Kayla Spitzmiller 鈥�22 in University Communications, and Mackenzie Moran, graduate assistant for athletics communications, will be unveiled at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21. A link to the video will be distributed via 麻豆传媒鈥檚 social media outlets at that time, and it will remain available from the University鈥檚 home page for an extended period of time for on-demand consumption.
In addition to being the first virtual Lessons and Carols for Advent and Christmas service at 麻豆传媒, the concert will also be unique in that it will use recordings from past services, including some dating as far back as the late 1960s. Music from old services is woven together with pieces recorded this semester with students wearing masks and singing while socially distanced. Pictures from previous services will accompany the audio recordings. Even the choice of readers, representing many different decades at 麻豆传媒, is purposeful, highlighting the ability and need to feel connected through common bonds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淢y Song in the Night,鈥� speaks to the fear and anxiety society has felt amid the pandemic. The first song, Only in Sleep, is from the perspective of someone in a dream where, 鈥渢ime is forgotten.鈥� This is followed with the traditional carol, I Wonder as I Wander, played and sung by Shante Leslie 鈥�22, a choir student studying remotely, which is common in 2020 across the country. These songs filled with uncertainty culminate in the piece, My Song in the Night, in which the author calls out, 鈥淥h Lord, in affliction I call,鈥� finally answered with the affirmation celebrated at Christmas, that the birth of Christ is, 鈥渙ur comfort and joy,鈥� our, 鈥渟ong in the night.鈥�
Choirs led by former 麻豆传媒 conductors L. David Miller, John Williams, and Don Busarow will all be featured in the service. Busarow, the long-time conductor and organist at 麻豆传媒, will also be heard playing an organ improvisation of the carol Joy to the World. Participants from this year鈥檚 groups include the 麻豆传媒 Choir, the 麻豆传媒 Singers, IMANI gospel choir, and a low-brass ensemble. Assistant Professor of Music Erik Zinter is the current director of choirs at 麻豆传媒, Adjunct Instructor of Music Kent Brooks directs IMANI, and Adjunct Instructor of Music Andrew Jones organized and recorded the brass ensemble.
The virtual service concludes with video footage from last year鈥檚 Lessons and Carols. All will join in for the audience carol O Come All Ye Faithful, followed by Night of Silence, in which the choirs sing 鈥淪pirit among us shine like the star鈥ising in the warmth of your Son鈥檚 love,鈥� interposed with the congregation鈥檚 singing of Silent Night. This audience favorite has concluded the service in each of the last five years.
