Christmas Concert

Hello!

Before Winter Break, my school put together a Christmas concert for our town. This concert is an annual tradition that brings the excitement of the holiday season into full swing. The school orchestra, band, and choir combine with teachers and community members to perform various Christmas/ winter pieces in one of our local churches. The church was packed and brought together what seemed to be hundreds of people to celebrate and mingle afterward. 

The concert started with the choir singing Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night). The song was an incredibly moving start to the concert as the darkness in the church alongside the acoustics led to an eerie, inexplicable experience.  Following that, the band, orchestra, and choir performed pieces including The Polar Express, a collection of  Vivaldi pieces, Real Love, and Once Upon a December. The concert then ended on three sing-along pieces where the three performing groups played Hoert der Engel helle Lieder, God rest ye merry, gentlemen, and O du froehliche in a cannon style. The audience received lyrics from our program and were able to join in and sing!

After the concert, it was amazing to see the number of community members (including my LC!) meeting each other and talking about their holiday plans and the concert. The number of people there made the event seem like a special and looked forward to tradition that I am sure will continue for years to come. Overall, the concert was a success and it was amazing to see my host community come together once again and this time for the holidays.