Providence College and Seminary’s annual Festival of Christmas Praise is promising to be better than ever, taking place Friday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 PM.
With a renewed 50 voice College Choir and the celebrative sounds of the Winnipeg Brass Quintet, the Advent season will again be inaugurated with carols and festive music. This year’s performance will be of special significance for Dr. Henry Schellenberg, Choir Conductor, as he will be celebrating his 25th year with the Festival of Christmas Praise.
“Every year I wonder what the choir will be like and whether we will have enough voices to pull off this event with our limited rehearsal schedule. Every year the students come through,” said Schellenberg. “This year’s choir includes a lot of new members who will make up in enthusiasm for what they lack in experience.”
In addition to familiar carols, this year’s festival will feature the opening chorus of J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio as well as Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata. Although composed in 1961, Pinkham pays homage to Bach and Handel by writing his cantata in a neo-baroque style.
Taking the form of a ‘lessons and carols’ service, the Festival of Christmas Praise is part concert, part service. It includes a significant amount of congregational participation in carol singing accompanied by the Winnipeg Brass Quintet and other instrumentalists. It also features a candle-lit processional and recessional.
Choir Students at Providence are also excited about the event. “The Festival of Christmas Praise is the one event that brings the whole community together to focus on the true meaning of Christmas,” said student Alanna Giesbrecht.
Admission to the event is free. An offering will be taken toward Performing Arts bursaries and the Performing Arts Department.
