Annual Christmas at Concordia concerts kick off with “impactful” Friday night performance
The audience applauds at the conclusion of Friday’s Christmas at Concordia performance.
Photo credit: Dylan Buechler
By Dylan Buechler
St. John Lutheran Church was packed Friday night for the opening night of Christmas at Concordia as people piled in to hear and to belt out Christmas hymns and renditions from Concordia’s music ensembles.
Christmas at Concordia is a series of performances from various ensembles: the University Wind Symphony, Male Chorus, Concordia Handbell Choir, A Cappella Choir and Cantamus Women’s Choir. There were also several opportunities for the congregation to sing along during the performance.
Sophomore Matthew Frerking participated in the performance and summarized his experience with joy.
“Christmas at Concordia. An amazing opportunity to be all together in fellowship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the one thing we all need to think about,” said Frerking. “People you’ve never met, you get to meet them. Music you’ve never made, you get to make. Professors you’ve never worked with, you get to do stuff with them. And all these amazing people that come from miles around to see the amazing work Concordia University, Nebraska has to offer.”
Frerking expressed his thankfulness for the whole experience and said that being a part of C@C is something to remember for a lifetime.
“It’s something we give thanks for every single day,” he said. “All these amazing people, friends and memories we make, you cherish these moments for a lifetime.”
Adjunct Faculty in Music Matthew Jahnke reflected on the message of Christmas that C@C brought to light.
“The students performed extremely well, and they really brought to life the Christmas story, which is exactly what this season is all about,” Janke said. “And I think it was very impactful for people to come here and witness this and get a full taste of the message of the Christmas season. And they brought the nature of the story to life.”
For freshman Naomi Weber, it was her first time performing in C@C. She said that the best thing about it was to see the audience’s reaction and be a part of the community.
“It was a really great first time performing at Christmas at Concordia,” she said. “I have never experienced something so joyous. It was really cool to see people’s faces light up in the audience and just experience the community that C@C is, and to have an opportunity to play music with a lot of fellow students.”
Junior Abby Constein had similar things to say. Sometimes practicing for the performance can be tedious, but the reactions make it all worth it.
“Sometimes it can get kind of monotonous, practicing the same songs,” she said. “But then you’re like, ‘Oh, this is the reason why I’m doing it,’ and it makes it all worth it.”
For those interested in participating in an ensemble, Weber encourages students to seek out the many opportunities on campus.
“I think that if you’re interested in music, you should get involved because music is one of the best gifts we have on campus” she said. “And it just has such great communities. And it allows you to grow in so many ways with each other and also with God.”
The remaining Christmas at Concordia performances will take place on Saturday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m. Extra tickets are sometimes available at the St. John “will call table” front desk an hour before the start of each performance.
