Colleen Coleman-
The 51st annual performance of Christmas in Christ Chapel, this year titled “At Twilight an Angel”, is on Friday, December 6th at 7:30 p.m., Saturday the 7th at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday the 8th at 4:00 p.m. The performance will feature all three choirs, the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, Christ Chapel Ringers, and the Gustavus Dance Company. This program will also feature two guest artists – Melissa Williams, Gustavus voice faculty, and Jeralyn Steele, solo artist and friend of the college. The 7:30 p.m. performance on Saturday the 7th will be livestreamed and produced by Heroic Productions.
CinCC is Gustavus’ annual celebration of the birth of Jesus, and an opportunity for students and the community to have a new insight on the story. It is the culmination of the Gustavus community, with its educational, spiritual, and musical components intertwined into one program. “To me, CinCC is more than a concert. It represents community, joy, and celebration for both participants and attendees. This year’s program is special; it is all about pushing through fear to find peace and faith in something bigger than ourselves as individuals. As the Co-President of the Lucia Singers, I am beyond proud of the work put in and cannot wait to share our passion with others,” Co-President of the Lucia Singers and Junior Emma Berger said. This year’s show features 162 singers, 65 orchestra members, 18 dancers, 14 handbell ringers, and 12 performers who are involved in multiple of the ensembles.
The theme surrounding this year’s CinCC is “At Twilight an Angel,” inspired by the poem of the same title by Mary Oliver. A reading of this poem will be accompanied by a dance dedicated to the late Michele Rusinko who passed last January; she helped to build the dance department during her 34 years of service and was a long-time choreographer for the dance element of CinCC. The dance was created in collaboration with student dancers who remember her fondly, and features the text of one of her favorite poets. “The five students in the dance all remember Rusinko. We talked about her a lot when creating the dance, which was really important to us. In the dance, we create shapes that spell her name to commemorate her. I want to leave the dance open to interpretation, but it has a lot of meaning behind it,” Dance faculty and CinCC choreographer Sarah Hauss said.
This year’s CinCC service explores the sense of mystery in the twilight and the ethereal state of angels. “The opening poem delves into the thoughts of the Angel Gabriel, just before he speaks shocking and life-altering words to Mary. His heavenly announcement ultimately changes the trajectory of the entire world,” Artistic Director and Chaplain Betsy Hoium stated in the opening of the program. “One of the exciting parts of CinCC is the dress rehearsal on Thursday night. It is really a dress rehearsal with an audience as we invite band, choir, and orchestra students from area high schools to come and experience what CinCC is all about. We are also unique among the Lutheran colleges in Minnesota in that we have a large enough chapel to hold our Christmas festival on campus,” Hoium said.
The Death of David from “Le Roi David” is one of the most climactic pieces in the program, featuring a reading by Chaplain Grady St. Dennis, accompanied by GSO, all three choirs, and guest artist Melissa Williams, who is a soprano soloist and has served as voice faculty at Gustavus since 2016. “I am really looking forward to this year’s Christmas in Christ Chapel. There seems to be great synergy this year, with everyone working towards a common goal. From the orchestral perspective, GSO’s involvement has certainly grown over the past few years, which is a testament to our students’ hard work and commitment. While I’m very proud of everything they do year-round, Christmas in Christ Chapel is the pinnacle of that work,” Director of GSO and the conductor for The Death of David Dr. Justin Knoepfel said. The piece will contain many theatrics and special effects that will leave the audience breathless.
The penultimate piece of the program is Listen to the Angels, written by Neal Hagberg ‘81, with a choral setting by Abbie Betinis, and an orchestration added by music faculty Dave Stamps. A longtime fan of music at Gustavus, Hagberg’s text asks the audience to think what they would do if they were at the Nativity, stating “If they told you he was a poor boy, would you come? / If they told you she wasn’t married, would you come?” Listen to the Angels also features guest artist Jeralyn Steele, a well-known Twin Cities vocalist and radio personality.
The 51st annual performance of Christmas in Christ Chapel “At Twilight an Angel” is on Friday, December 6th at 7:30 p.m., Saturday the 7th at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday the 8th at 4 p.m. The program will also feature two guest artists – Melissa Williams, Gustavus voice faculty, and Jeralyn Steele, solo artist and friend of the college – as well as 259 student performers. The 7:30 p.m. performance on Saturday will be livestreamed and produced by Heroic Productions, so if you were unable to get a ticket, feel free to tune in virtually to support your fellow Gusties!