School of Music sets the tone for Christmas season

Liberty University’s School of Music held its fifth annual “Christmas on the Boulevard” in the Towns-Alumni Auditorium on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Under the direction of Dr. John D. Kinchen, associate dean of the Center for Music and Worship, the concert featured traditional and popular holiday music performed by the Liberty University Symphony Orchestra, Bato African Drumming Ensemble, and six School of Music performing choirs.  In all, more than 350 singers, 65 symphony orchestra members, 15 world music percussionists, and four student soloists joined in presenting an evening of eclectic song.

Guests enjoyed selections from Handel’s “Messiah,” including “And the Glory of the Lord,” “Glory to God,” “For Unto Us a Child is Born,” and “The Hallelujah Chorus.” Additionally, popular carols and songs centered on the birth of Christ were part of the evening presentation.

Dr. Vernon Whaley, dean of the School of Music, said that this event gives students and the public opportunity to experience different genres of music.

“We are all about facilitating and promoting the arts,” he said. “We believe God has given us various talents and gifts. God only loans us these gifts. It is our responsibility is to steward these talents and gifts well for His glory. Our responsibility is to use our gifts as facilitators for proclaiming the Gospel.”

Whaley said this is the first year that the concert’s 750 tickets were completely sold out. He added that next year the new Center for Music and the Worship Arts auditorium will more than double the school’s concert seating capacity.

“This year we had so many people that we did not have enough seats,” he said. “We are looking forward to some really spectacular events in our new building. The new building is going to be a place for the Lynchburg arts community to call home. We really hope that in the future we can provide this event for all of Central Virginia.”

This fall, the School of Music occupied the first of two buildings that will become Liberty’s Center for Music and the Worship Arts. In all, the center spans 141,000 square feet and two buildings, offering 50 practice rooms, 43 teaching studios, three large common areas for group instruction and rehearsal, five large classrooms, a 250-seat orchestra/band rehearsal area, 150-seat choral rehearsal hall, a 50-seat recital hall, a 124-seat recital hall, and a state of the art recording studio. The second building, which will open in the spring semester, includes a 1,600-seat fine arts auditorium with an adjustable acoustics system capable of accommodating both popular music and classical performances. The recording studio is to be completed after the concert hall is opened in June.

In November, the School of Music received membership and accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music, the national accrediting agency for music and music-related disciplines.

Liberty strives to provide the best equipment possible to its students, as was demonstrated when the School of Music became an All-Steinway School this summer, committing to providing the finest pianos the world has to offer.