Grove City College is going all out next week to celebrate the season with Light-Up Night, a series of concerts, and a special candlelight Christmas service in Harbison Chapel.
The College’s student musicians will be in the spotlight at all the events, demonstrating the key role that music plays in the Christmas season.
"Christmas and holiday music, sacred and secular, offers us a language of hope and cheer. Christmas songs are more than simple tunes. They are our shared history and memories of faith, love, and laughter from generation to generation,” Dr. Jeffrey Tedford ’00, professor and chair of the Music Department said.
“Our hope is to bring our campus and local community together in musical celebrations of our shared faith, performed by students representing over 40 degrees on campus,” he said.
The festivities begin Monday, Dec. 1, with the first of four Carnegie Christmas Concerts, a lunchtime tradition at the College. Concerts are at noon Monday through Thursday, Dec. 4 in the Colonnade of the Carnegie Alumni Center on South Broad Street in Grove City. Each day a different group of music students performs for a community audience.
The week’s lineup includes:
- Monday – Vocal students and a sing-along
- Tuesday – GCC Singers, String Quartet, and Flute Ensemble
- Wednesday – Touring Choir, Gallery Brass, Trombone Choir, Revelation Ringers, and Piano Trio
- Thursday –Trumpet Ensemble, String Quartet, Piano Cello Duet, String Trio, and Piano
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, Grove City College will celebrate Light-Up Night when the giant star atop the newly rechristened Smith Hall of Science and Technology is illuminated. Enjoy carols, holiday treats, and tradition. The star, which is visible for miles around campus, signals the birth of Christ more than 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem.
On Thursday, Dec. 4, and Friday, Dec. 5, the College’s musical ensembles will team up to perform A Musical Christmas at GCC at 7:30 p.m. each evening in Ketler Auditorium of the Pew Fine Arts Center on campus. The concert is a newer tradition that features the College’s Jazz Ensemble, Stage Band, GCC Singers, Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir, and Chamber Orchestra. The production includes over 150 individual students and culminates in a sing-along with the combined ensembles and the audience.
On Sunday, Dec. 7, the College’s Office of Christian Formation holds its annual Christmas Candlelight Service at 6:30 p.m. and again at 8:30 p.m. in Harbison Chapel. The service features the Christmas liturgy, favorite hymns, and stirring music, and culminates with the passing of candlelight throughout the chapel. Members of the Christian Formation staff, Student Ministry Council, Worship Team, and Global Outreach will serve the light.
All the concerts and the candlelight service are free and open to the public.