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

Concert: "A Festival of Carols"
Date and time: Dec. 3 & 4 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 5 at 4 p.m.
Location: Sauder Concert Hall, Goshen College Music Center
Cost: $14 reserved seating. Limited tickets are available by calling the Goshen College Welcome Center, (574) 535-7566

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College will present its seventh annual musical celebration of Christmas, "A Festival of Carols," on Friday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. This special celebration of the holiday season will feature five choirs and orchestra, 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 features Christmas carols, spirituals, Scripture readings and works by Leroy Anderson, Michael Praetorius, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, John Rutter, David Willcocks, Franz Biebl and more. Performers include the Goshen College Chorale, Chamber Choir, Men's Chorus, Women's World Music Choir, the Goshen College Symphony Orchestra and 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 Symphony Orchestra is directed by Christopher Fashun. Shout for Joy Children's Choir is directed by Sandy Hill. The Goshen College Symphony Orchestra will perform an orchestral prelude in Sauder Concert Hall slightly before each performance. Pre-concert music on Sunday will be provided in the Music Center Lobby by the Community School of the Arts Baroque Trio.

A limited number of reserved seating tickets are available for $14 by calling the Goshen College Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566.

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.