Lebanon Valley College's 60th Anniversary Christmas at the Valley Scheduled for December 7

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60th anniversary celebration of the annual Christmas at the Valley on Dec. 7 at 3 and 7 p.m.

ANNVILLE, PA (11/13/2014)(readMedia)-- Lebanon Valley College's 60th anniversary celebration of the annual Christmas at the Valley holiday program, "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols," will be held in LVC's Miller Chapel on Dec. 7 at 3 and 7 p.m. Concert preludes will begin at 2:20 and 6:20 p.m., and a post-concert holiday reception will be held in the Mund College Center, located across the street from Miller Chapel, after both performances.

Viewers out of the area are invited to watch the 7 p.m. candlelight service live via LVCtv: www.lvc.edu/LVCtv. The 3 p.m. service is typically a standing room only event; please consider attending the evening service.

Admission is free and open to the public, but a free will offering will be collected to benefit Operation Santa Claus in Lebanon County. Nearly $50,000 has been raised over the past 22 years in support of Operation Santa Claus, which provides food, clothing, and toys for less fortunate families in Lebanon County during the holidays.

On Dec. 9, 1954, Dr. Maynard W. Sparks started¬¬ Christmas at the Valley and it has become a 60-year-old community tradition. That first service provided prayers and scripture reading prior to the LVC Concert Choir presentation of Camille Saint-Saëns's "Christmas Oratorio" directed by professor Reynaldo Rovers. Professor Robert Smith led the combined choirs and congregation in the singing of Christmas carols. Thus began what is now a Lebanon Valley holiday tradition.

This year, a unifying theme throughout the service will be the well-known tune and text "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming." An instrumental prelude will feature the College's Handbell Choir, conducted by college organist and professor of music, Dr. Shelly Moorman-Stahlman, student organists, and this year's special guest, the LVC Woodwind Quintet directed by Beverly K. Butts, adjunct assistant professor of music. The choirs, organ, and brass and percussion ensembles will perform the final prelude selection, "The Dream Isaiah Saw" by Glenn Rudolph.

The traditional "Once in Royal David's City" will open the festival. The combined choirs, organ, brass, percussion and handbell ensembles will reprise a special anthem for this year's 60th anniversary celebration, Everett Reed's "Adéste Fidélis-Fanfare & Anthem," and Lara Hoggard's setting of the 1582 hymn "Personent Hodie."

The College Choir, conducted by Michael Wojdylak, adjunct instructor of music, will feature Joseph Martin's anthem "O Loving Father of the Stars," which will be sung with J.S. Bach's "Planets, Stars, and Air of Space," Lee Dengler's "Christmas Sanctus," and John Jacob Niles' arrangement of "Carol of the Angels."

The Chamber Choir, a 20-voice a cappella ensemble, will perform the anonymous 16th-century Spanish carol "Ríu, Ríu, Chíu" and "Deck the Hall" as well.

The Concert Choir, conducted by Mark Mecham, 24-year department chair and Clark and Edna Carmean Distinguished Professor of Music, will premiere an arrangement of "Arvo Pärt's Bogoróditse Djévo (O Blessed Virgin)," conducted by tenor section leader Adam Rabenold '15, music and music education double major from Kutztown, Pa., and songs by Norwegian composer, Ola Gjelio, "Sanctus" and "Serenity: O Magnum Mysterium (O great mystery)" with cello and violin accompaniment.

Alumnae involved with the founding performance will read many of the lessons including Elma Jean Swope Kreider '55, Sally A. Miller-Checkett '58, P'88, Patricia Lutz Walter '57, P'85, P'91, and Frances Shroyer Bova '54. Student readers, President Lewis E. Thayne, and Board of Trustees Chair Wesley T. Dellinger '75, who sang with Dr. Pierce Getz's Concert Choir during his undergraduate studies, will join them in the readings.

Choirs and congregation will join in singing "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Once in Royal David's City," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and "Silent Night" with a descant composed by Bernell W. Hales.

Immediately following, alumni from the choirs will be invited to join in the singing of the traditional English carol, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."