GRANTHAM, Pa. (Nov. 8, 2007) — The Messiah College department of music will present two Christmas concerts featuring a variety of festive arrangements and performances on Dec 2. The first concert will be held at St. Lawrence Chapel, located at 110 State Street in Harrisburg, at 4 p.m. A $10 donation is suggested. The second concert will be at 8 p.m. in Hostetter Chapel, located on the college’s Grantham campus. Admission is $7 and $3 for seniors. Advance tickets for the campus concert are advised and may be purchased by calling (717) 691-6036.

These popular Messiah College Christmas concerts will feature a variety of groups including the women’s ensemble, concert choir, chamber singers, men’s ensemble, brass quintets and the handbell choir (performing at campus concert only).

Women’s Ensemble

The women’s ensemble, under the direction of Katrina Peddell, assistant professor of music, is comprised of 60 female vocalists. They will perform various holiday pieces including “Personent Hodie,” “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” “Hallelu,” “O Regum Coeli” and “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy.”

Concert Choir

The concert choir, comprised of 45 singers under the direction of Linda Tedford, will perform various works, including “There Shall a Star” by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, “Break Forth, O Beauteous Light” by J. S. Bach and various arrangements of traditional carols and spirituals.

Chamber Singers

The chamber singers, a select group of 14 singers conducted by Tedford, will perform a cappella works. The pieces include “Lirum, Lirum” by Thomas Morley, “Pengyou Ting,” a Chinese carol, and “Deck the Halls.”

Men’s Ensemble

The men's ensemble, comprised of 19 male vocalists under the direction of Tedford, will perform “Alleluia,” “On Christmas Night” and the spiritual, “Goin’ To Bethlehem.”

Brass Quintets

Student brass quintets will perform festive, holiday prelude music before each performance, and will accompany the audience carol sing-alongs. Four trumpets will also join the women’s ensemble for a piece.

 

Handbell Choir

The concert handbell choir is comprised of 15 ringers. The choir, under the direction of Shawn Gingrich, will perform the following pieces at the campus concert only:  “Christmas Processional and Medley” by Jefferey Hall, “Wexford Carol” by H. Dean Wagner and “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” by Kevin McChesney.

About Messiah College
Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls 2,800 undergraduate students in 55 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.

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