On the St. Olaf College website, the St. Olaf Christmas Festival is described as \u201cone of the oldest musical celebrations of Christmas in the United States.\u201d It\u2019s important to remember this self-definition when questioning this event\u2019s identity: is it a concert, or is it a service?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s kind of both. It has elements of theology that align quite well with Luther\u2019s ideas in the reformation. Christmas Fest presents a theme every year that is reflected through most of (if not all) the repertoire selected. This year\u2019s is \u201cLight Dawns, Hope Blooms\u201d. In my own research regarding my first paper, I discovered that Luther believed musicians\u2019 job in worship is to present musical sermons with a compelling theological message that\u2019s accessible to the congregation. I\u2019ve never been an audience member of Christmas Fest, but I believe it would be difficult to not catch a glimpse of each yearly message since the theme is clearly pasted above the roughly 500 choir members in a catchy font.<\/p>\n
Christmas Festival has another important factor pointing itself towards being more of a service: congregational hymns. There is a processional hymn for all to sing when the choirs enter, two hymns in the middle of event, and a recessional hymn when the choirs exit into the round. Luther was an avid advocate for accessible chorale tunes so all present at a service could sing together.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Christmas Festival loses its validity as a service in politics. Entry to the event costs $30 per person, plus a $7 \u201ctransaction fee\u201d when purchasing. This makes the festival an exclusive event rather than inclusive. If St. Olaf wanted it to be closely aligned with service practices without overbooking each night, tickets could be reserved for free with a free-will donation optional. Along with the clapping that follows the final notes of Beautiful Savior at the end, it\u2019s really not possible to argue that it is a service any longer. Because the actual contents of the concert mainly have the intentions of a service, I don’t think it’s entirely fair to call it simply a concert either. It\u2019s a celebration of Christmas; the website is not wrong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On the St. Olaf College website, the St. Olaf Christmas Festival is described as \u201cone of the oldest musical celebrations of Christmas in the United States.\u201d It\u2019s important to remember this self-definition when questioning this event\u2019s identity: is it a … Continue reading