The Concert, Chamber and Collegiate Choirs sing age-old carols and chants, as well as modern expressions of joy, to celebrate a season of peace and goodwill.聽 The choirs are directed by Dr. Scott Allison, assistant professor of music. He is accompanied by Dr. Dylan Marney, associate professor of music.

Precautions taken for the COVID-19 pandemic prevent live performances on campus this year, but this year鈥檚 musical selections can be found on YouTube. The Collegiate Choir was divided into treble, bass and mixed choirs to honor social distancing and meet rehearsal safety guidelines.

The Collegiate Treble Choir explores an ancient English chant, brought to harmony in the 鈥�1514 Sarum Primer鈥� and set to tonalities of today in Dan Forrest鈥檚 arrangement of the 鈥淪ussex Carol.鈥澛� The choir then continues with scriptural words of hope expressed in 鈥淧salm 23鈥� in an arrangement by Randall Stroope. The Collegiate Bass Choir follows with a setting of Isaac Watts鈥� 鈥淐radle Hymn鈥� by contemporary Norwegian composer Kim Andr茅 Arnesen.

The treble and bass choirs also rehearsed as two mixed voice choirs for this Concert. Collegiate Mixed Voice Choir A reminds us of the joy of the season in Craig Courtney鈥檚 setting in English of the German carol 鈥淗ow Great Our Joy.鈥� Collegiate Mixed Voice Choir B seeks to 鈥渋llumine through sound鈥� as composer Morten Lauridsen describes his blend of 13th century apocryphal accounts of animals at the cr猫che with references to the liturgical Gregorian Christmas matins chant.

Expressing Christmas joy takes on many guises, and the Chamber Choir presents one of the most rhythmically delightful in Robert Shaw and Alice Parker鈥檚 arrangement of the Catalan carol 鈥淔um, Fum, Fum.鈥� Dating from the 16th century, this carol recalls a widespread European tradition of processing to the church on Christmas Eve and feasting after Mass.

English cathedral composer Philip W.J. Stopford鈥檚 setting of the Coventry Carol, 鈥淟ully, Lulla, Lullay,鈥� honors another reimagining of the night of the cr猫che from the 14th century when medieval guild plays added to the scriptural account episodes that resonated with their own lives. The solo quartet is soprano Brianna Holder, a senior music education major from Moberly, Mo.; alto Jay Bettis, a junior English major from Hermann, Mo.; tenor Isaac Reinwald, a freshman history education major from Hannibal, Mo.; and baritone Samuel Morgan, a freshman music technology major from Columbia, Ill.

The Chamber Choir brings a jazz standard to Russ Robinson鈥檚 arrangement of 鈥淗ave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.鈥� Written in 1943 in the dark days of World War II for the movie 鈥淢eet Me in St. Louis,鈥� the song reminds us that someday 鈥渨e all will be together, if the fates allow鈥� and offers with it the hope that next year, we will all be together making music.

In 鈥淪potless Rose,鈥� the Concert Choir relates a tale of the Nativity, foretold in Isaiah and already reimagined in a 16th century poetic text: 鈥渇rom the root of Jesse shall spring forth a flower to show God鈥檚 love for all humanity.鈥� Composer Ola Gjeilo鈥檚 setting of the medieval carol text works equally well in English or in his native Norwegian. The soloists are sopranos Anna Gabel, a sophomore art education major from Quincy, Ill., and J鈥檕rdan Scurlock, a senior criminal justice major from St. Louis.

In Arvo P盲rt鈥檚 setting of the scriptural antiphon 鈥淢agnificat,鈥� Mary鈥檚 song of exultation at bearing God鈥檚 son shifts and resounds with a bell-like effect through a compositional technique called聽tintinnabuli. The choir weaves beautiful harmonies around the fixed tone of a soprano chant, sung by Dr. Carol Mathieson, professor emerita of music.

Fred Bock鈥檚 鈥淧eace, Peace,鈥� a highlight of C-SC Christmas Concerts for several years, partners the traditional German carol 鈥淪ilent Night鈥� with the composer鈥檚 own expression of the yearning of the season for peace on earth. With a soprano saxophone obbligato played by Dr. Trent Hollinger, associate professor of music, the Concert Choir crescendos gradually to the finale, when all of the choirs join in with the beloved carol 鈥� peace, peace, Silent Night.

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The concert will begin with the 60-voice Collegiate Choir singing a joyful, syncopated processional based on the ancient chant 鈥淰eni, Veni Emmanuel鈥� by Michael John Trotta, continue the rhythmic energy with 鈥淣o茅l Ayisyen,鈥� a carol from Haiti, and then showcase seasonal works of John Rutter, Eric Whitacre and Charles Ives.

The Chamber Choir will offer a wide contrast of styles, ranging from the 鈥淗odie Christus natus est鈥� of Heinrich Sch眉tz to the lovely Hugo Distler arrangement of 鈥淟o! How a Rose E鈥檈r Blooming鈥� and the more angular and syncopated 鈥淎ve Maria鈥� by Javier Busto.

The Concert Choir enters with its own processional to an arrangement of 鈥淥 Come, O Come, Emmanuel鈥� arranged with a completely different sense of time and grandeur. Capturing the rejoicing of the season with the Parker/Shaw arrangement of 鈥淐hrist was born on Christmas Day鈥� and 鈥淗allelujah, Christ is Born鈥� by Rosephanye Powell, the Concert Choir charges the tempo with Andr茅 J. Thomas鈥檚 鈥淩ockin鈥� Jerusalem鈥� before returning to the peace of the season in the Hughes/Loose 鈥淟ullaby for a King鈥� and ending with their traditional 鈥淧eace, Peace鈥� with candlelight 鈥淪ilent Night.鈥�

Scotty Allison conducts all the choral ensembles.

A brass quintet and saxophone quartet will provide instrumental interludes under the direction of Aren Van Houzen and Trent Hollinger respectively. A dessert reception in Merillat Chapel and Recital Hall will follow the concert, with light seasonal music provided by various instrumental ensembles.

Admission is free. The concert also will be streamed live on Culver-Stockton鈥檚 Facebook page.

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