Goshen College music ensembles celebrate Christmas with the annual A Festival of Carols concert

Concert: A Festival of Carols

Date and time: Dec. 5 & 6 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 7 at 4 p.m.

Location: Sauder Concert Hall, Goshen College Music Center

Cost: $12 reserved seating. Limited tickets are available by calling the Goshen College Welcome Center, (574) 535-7566

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College will present its fifth annual musical celebration of Christmas, A Festival of Carols, on Friday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. This special celebration of the holiday season will feature five choirs, orchestra and brass ensemble, along with audience participation on traditional carols, all in a concert hall festively decorated with garlands, lights and trees.

A Festival of Carols is patterned on a traditional English worship service, and this year features traditional, Basque and Castillian Christmas carols, spirituals, Scripture readings and works by Handel, Josquin des Prez, Vaughan Williams, Rimsky-Korskoff, Mack Willberg and more. Performers include the Goshen College Chorale, Chamber Choir, Men's Chorus, Women's World Music Choir, the Goshen College Orchestra and Brass Ensemble, along with the Shout For Joy Children's Choir. The audience will also be invited to join the choirs to sing familiar carols during the performance.

Goshen College Choirs are directed by Debra Brubaker and Scott Hochstetler, and the Goshen College Orchestra is directed by Gregg Thaller. Shout for Joy Children's Choir is directed by Sandy Hill. The Goshen College Flute Choir, directed by Rebecca Hovan, will provide pre-concert music from the Sauder Concert Hall lobby.

A limited number of tickets are available for $12 by calling the Goshen College Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566.

Michiana residents can see a broadcast of the 2007 concert on WNIT, the local public television station, on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m., Monday, Dec.22 at 9 p.m. and Thursday, Dec. 25 at 3 p.m. The broadcast was filmed and recorded in high-definition by a crew of 12 Goshen College students, under the direction of Associate Professor of Communication Ron Johnson and Music Center Recording Specialist Matthias Stegmann.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.