Both pop and classical music will be featured in LU’s Christmas Concert
Liberty University’s School of Music will ring in the holiday season with a series of musical sessions dubbed Christmas on the Boulevard. The concerts will be held on Dec. 2 and Dec. 6 in the Center for Music and the Worship Arts Concert Hall.
The two events will give attendees a variety of musical pieces to enjoy with holiday performances from different groups on each night.
The first concert Christmas on the Boulevard: Pops is focused more on contemporary Christmas songs and will offer popular festive favorites performed by the Liberty University Worship Choirs and worship teams.
“On Friday night, we’ll feature very familiar Christmas carols and a little more contemporary arrangements of Christmas songs,” Stephen Müller, dean of the School of Music, said. “Some of them will feature choir and orchestra, others will have soloists and different groups within the School of Music.”
The second concert Christmas on the Boulevard: Classic on Dec. 6 will feature pieces from Handel’s “Messiah” along with a variety of other traditional songs, offering listeners a more classical musical experience with performances by University Chorale, Concert Choir, Chamber Singers and the Liberty University Symphony Orchestra.
According to Müller, the School of Music puts on the concerts with the goal to celebrate the birth of Christ and to showcase students’ talents.
Müller said that while other universities have large-scale Christmas productions, there is something special about the pieces performed by Liberty’s School of Music.
“For us, we get to reframe back to the purpose of Christmas, which is Christ,” Müller said. “We’ve heard from guests, who are outside of the Liberty circle, that it blows them away and represents Liberty and the School of Music well.”
The events provide current students the opportunity to spend time with friends, enjoying music before winter break.
“I’m excited about getting to start the Christmas season before we leave for the semester,” student Lexie Nicol said. “I think it’s a great way to get in the Christmas spirit.”
The School of Music has offered a variety of concerts and recitals to guests throughout the year, but according to Müller, what makes these Christmas performances special are their ability to display the school’s various components in a single event.
Additionally, these performances require a distinct level of preparation.
“We start planning late in the spring and have planning meetings in the summer,” Müller said. “By the time the fall gets here, we pretty much know what songs we’re doing (and) what groups are going to be involved.”
The preparation is well spent as Christmas on the Boulevard has been a popular production on campus for more than
15 years.
Guests can secure a ticket for either show by visiting liberty.edu/tickets.
Musser is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter