By Hadassa Ferreira, Arts & Culture Editor
If there is one season that everyone anticipates the entire year, it is Christmas. Christmas is a holiday that brings feelings of celebration, union, happiness, nostalgia, and much more. It is the time to celebrate all the accomplishments we had throughout the year and reflect on the love of Jesus and his coming to the earth.
At Saint Leo, the number of Christmas celebrations is never-ending, and every year, our campus hosts multiple events that aim to spread the joy and magic of Christmas.
One of the “top hit” Christmas traditions here at Saint Leo is the Christmas Concert. The event happened on Wednesday, Dec. 5 where performances began at 4:00 p.m. at the Saint Leo Monastery and 7:00 p.m. at the Abbey Church.
The concert is an event hosted by the Department of Music, in which the music faculty and students present songs they rehearse throughout the semester to the Saint Leo community. Every year, multiple Saint Leo musical groups prepare Christmas-themed performances to showcase their talent and the Christmas spirit.
This year, the musicians that composed the Christmas concert were the Saint Leo Strings (a violin group including Dr. Kyle Cherwinski who played marimba), Chris Romeo, a Saint Leo tenor singer, The Saint Leo Jazz Ensemble, and the Saint Leo’s choir groups: The Saint Leo Singers Men, Saint Leo Singers Women, and Saint Leo Chamber Singers.
(Photos were taken by Hadassa Ferreira)
The Christmas Concert is a perfect opportunity for those who love listening to and singing carols to enjoy the moment with their loved ones and appreciate the show. This year’s performance counted on some of the most loved carols, such as “Carol of the Bells” and “Winter Wonderland,” performed by the Saint Leo Strings, and “I Will Be Home for Christmas,” performed by Saint Leo Singers’ Women.
“I think this event is really fun! I was really excited to work on it because I really like to participate in choir,” said Hannah Wagner, a freshman music major who performed in the Christmas concert with the Singers’ Women.
She added, “Especially having people I appreciate, for example, my high school choir teacher, coming to see the show was really fun.”
The funniest part of the concert was the Saint Leo Singers’ Men, who performed “Feliz Navidad,” welcoming the audience for the Christmas party, and the piece “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch,” evoking genuine laughs from the audience.
The language diversity was definitely a “plus” in this year’s Christmas concert. Dr. Cyntia Selph, the director of the Music Department, the Saint Leo Singers’ Women, and Saint Leo Chamber Singers, made a music selection full of songs in Latin that transported the audience to an angelic atmosphere.
“I loved how they incorporated different languages, such as Latin and Spanish,” said Anabelita Lopez, a junior majoring in accounting with a minor in computer informational systems. “I like how they incorporated different cultural aspects beyond the religious one, which, of course, is also very important,” she added.
Songs such as “O lux Beatissima,” performed by the Singers’ Women, and “O Magnum Mysterium,” performed by the Chamber Singers, sounded fantastic with the Abbey’s echoing acoustic. It was possible to hear the voice notes traveling through the entire church. It was a gorgeous performance.
The jazz band is one of the groups that exemplifies the talent of Saint Leo’s music students. The quality of the music performed by the band was undeniable. They performed “God Rest Ye Merry Funkymen,” taking the audience to a remarkable melodic moment.
(Photos were taken by Hadassa Ferreira)
There isn’t a better way to represent the Christmas spirit than to bring the community to participate. So, the show ended with all the musicians inviting the audience to a sing-a-long carol trilogy, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “What Child is This,” and “Joy to the World,” closing the concert in great style.
Christmas is a season of joy, happiness, love, and unity, and music has the power to transmit all those emotions in a special way. December arrived, and people “pressed play” on their Christmas playlists to experience this mood.
At Saint Leo University, our community had the chance to listen to our Christmas playlist “in live” mode, and the experience was amazing!
