As the lights dim and the orchestra tunes, the 2023 edition of Christmas at Luther entitled “Love, The Rose, Is On The Way” took center stage in the CFL.
The annual performance at the start of the holiday season returned to Luther once again, with four total performances stretching from November 30 to December 3. Each performance included all five of Luther College’s vocal ensembles: Nordic Choir, Collegiate Choral, Cathedral Choir, Aurora and Norskkor, as well as the Luther College Symphony Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble.
This year, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation, Christmas at Luther sold out every single performance. This feat, said Director of Music Marketing, Susan Potvin (‘02), “was just a matter of time.”
“Last year, we think that people still had some doubts about being in large crowds,” Potvin said. “People look forward to this event every year, performer families obviously want to be there and lots of alumni also return. It’s also just people in the local community who see these performances as the start of the holiday season.”
The performance this year lasted about two hours and included 21 different songs, including four hymns that invite the audience to stand and sing along. Each ensemble gets to perform two solo pieces by themselves that are selected by the conductors and can range from A Dave Matthews Band song to music arranged by Mozart himself.
These solo pieces, as well as the ones that include all of the choirs and orchestra, always follow the title theme. Selection for theme and music often begins months in advance, as early as February or as soon as the conductors know what their ensembles will be like for next year’s performance.
According to a message written in the Christmas at Luther program by Artistic Director and Director of Choral Activities Andrew Last (‘97), the show was conceptualized from the 15th century carol “Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming.” Last, who is also an Associate Professor of Music, wrote that the overall theme was to prepare for the “dark, cold days of winter” by celebrating the “Flower whose fragrance fills the air.”
“All too often we are quick to overlook the days of Advent, rushing to celebrate Christmas,” Last wrote in his program notes. “This year we pause and reflect on the simple image of the manger and the rose sprouting and growing to signal the arrival of Isaiah’s prophecy.”
Sam Maston (‘24) played the clarinet in the Symphony Orchestra for CAL, shared that the planning paid off and that the performances received many compliments from friends and family.
“CAL is a showcase of the power of the choirs and what they can do when they work together,” Maston said. “CAL week is one of the most stressful weeks in the year; adding 15 hours to a regular schedule is intense but the experience was rewarding. I think I’ll miss it when the time comes around next December.”
This year’s performances continued the recent tradition of having digital viewing options available for those who couldn’t attend in-person. A live stream of the Sunday performance was available, as well as a video-on-demand option available for purchase and viewing from December 8 through December 30.
The music of each performance can also be found on the most notable music streaming services or purchasable from the Luther College Book Shop. The program and Last’s notes can be found at luther.edu/music/christmas-at-luther.
