by Alyssa Speicher, Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University will kick off the Christmas season with its annual Community Christmas Celebration concert on Sunday, December 3. The concert begins at 6 p.m. in the Dixon Ministry Center’s Jeremiah Chapel, and admission is free. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. The event can also be streamed live at cedarville.edu/ChristmasLive.
Performances will include the University orchestra, men’s glee club, women’s choir, jazz band, concert chorale, harp ensemble, brass choir and more. In total, the concert will showcase the talents of more than 300 students from across the university and will include a special performance from faculty members Beth Porter and Mark Spencer.
“In this day and age of commercialism, it’s our privilege and responsibility to point people to the true meaning of Christmas, that being the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ,” said Bruce Curlette, professor of music who organized the event this year. “You don’t get a message like that at any other holiday concert.”
The audience will be able to sing along with traditional carols, and the evening will conclude with a robust performance of the much-beloved “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.
Every year, the Jeremiah Chapel, which can seat nearly 3,400 people, is packed to standing-room-only, so the university encourages early arrival.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.