Christmas at the Chapel gets even better!

We’re happy to announce special guests will join us for our annual Christmas concert. We welcome the Fox Valley Symphony Chamber Orchestra which will accompany us on several pieces including selections from the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah (including the Hallelujah chorus). We are thrilled to share the stage with them again and know their sound will enrich this special holiday performance for all of you!Artistic Director Phillip Swan created a program that brings us historical, often ancient, music in the first half of the concert; in the second segment he programmed music from the New World as well as some new music.O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is one of the oldest hymns dating back to the 8^th or 9^th century and was used as a chant at evening (vesper) services. O Come All ye Faithful was similarly used as a processional by Catholic monks.The Coventry Carol had its beginnings in the medieval English Mystery Plays and was published in the early 1800s in a detailed history of the plays. Although Estampie Natalis was published in 1976, it sounds like a “modern medieval” work and is reminiscent of an estampie, a form of instrumental dance music of the 13^th century. Blessed Be That Maid Marie is written in the style of the Rennaissance and the text and tune it is based on dates from the 1500s.We will be performing selections from the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah, which is a baroque era masterpiece. Although the work was originally written as an Easter offering, the Christmas portion has become a rite of the holiday season. Choruses include:And the Glory of the LordFor Unto Us a Child Is BornGlory to GodHallelujah ChorusThe second half of our program will present music form the New World inlcuding the African-American spiritual Roun’ de Glory Manger. Children Go Where I Send Thee is an African-American folk song discovered at a rural Kentucky school for black children. Although it sounds like a simple counting song, each number in the verses refers to a bible verse or story. The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy is a Trinidadian folk carol with a distinctly calypso flavor.We will close the concert with a series of songs celebrating the birth of the Christ child; simple settings that express the miracle of the Savior’s birth. In Sleep my Child Sleep, the gentle opening melody grows and swells as the text proclaims the baby will “melt away the sin of man/with thy perpetual light.” The composer, Zachary Moore, is a Wisconsin native who is currently studying music education at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.Still, Still, Still is a tender, poetic lullaby which is one of the most loved Christmas carols. We will end with a candle-lit procession through the beautiful Lawrence Chapel singing Silent Night with members of the audience. This simple melody is our favorite way to end our annual Christmas in the Chapel because it focuses on the miracle of Christ’s birth rather than the glitz and bustle of the season.We hope to share this memorable Christmas celebration with you!For your convenience, you may purchase tickets online at this link.