 "Photo: Press Photo")
Not only will 72 quiet hums unite to fill the depths of the garland-trimmed sanctuary this weekend, but also 72 hands will interlock with hopes of manifesting the Christmas story.
The Augustana Choir, along with the Collegiate Chorale, Brass Choir and String Quartet, will come together to present the annual Augustana Christmas Vespers service at First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, Dec. 4 through Dec. 6.
"For decades [Vespers] has been the college's primary way of celebrating the birth of Christ," Augustana Choir conductor and professor of music James Johnson says.
Johnson has been the Augustana Choir's conductor for 18 years, and his initial planning for this year's musical event began last fall.
Vespers 2009, "All My Heart This Night Rejoices," combines timeless hymns and carols with newer, contemporary selections.
"There is a great theological message of Christmas within the service," Augustana Choir tenor and senior Michael Kruse says. "The order of music this year focuses on the celebration of Christmas to begin the service, whereas in many past Vespers, this celebration came at the end of the service."
In addition to the revamped order of service, Vespers will reveal the reshaped Colligate Chorale that now encompasses the Women's Choir. This past fall, the two choirs combined into one. And another surprise to the performance will be the Augustana Choir's new blue and gold robes.
First Lutheran Church, located downtown on 327 Dakota Ave., has not always been Vespers' prime venue. The birth of Vespers was in the old gym, which is now the Edith Mortenson Theatre, featuring only the Augustana Choir and orchestra. As Johnson describes it, Vespers was "quite an intimate event" in its rookie years. It was a candlelight service, and it was offered once or twice each December.
Growing over the years to include more musical groups and a wider-spread audience, Vespers has been held at Our Savior's Lutheran Church and St. Joseph's Cathedral in addition to First Lutheran.
Even though it is only his second year, Augustana Choir bass and sophomore Sawyer Vanden Heuvel feels an earnest affection for Vespers.
"There's something about singing the story of the birth of Christ that sets ourselves apart from other schools," Vanden Heuvel says. "We don't do madrigals. We don't get all dressed up in medieval garb. What we do is simply sing and tell the story about what happened that special starry night."
Every year, each senior of the Augustana Choir shares a personal devotion with the group before the concert. It's a long-standing tradition that continues to be passed down. The stories that are shared create tight bonds between members and a deep affinity for the choir itself.
"My freshman year of Vespers will always stay with me," Kruse says. "It was the first time I had truly sung with the choir in the service. There is a feeling that cannot be described, but only felt within the choir. It's almost like it's the peace of the Holy Spirit."
Vanden Huevel can relate to Kruse's experience that seems to resonate through the music. Instead, Vanden Huevel calls it,"the moment."
"I can feel something stirring inside of me," Vanden Heuvel says. "I'm never sure what it is. But when I see the faces in the crowd, I know what we're doing means something to them. The feeling inside of me grows, and when I look onto Dr. J's face and he's smiling—that's it, the moment. He stops directing us, then that's when the music takes over."
Vespers brings great meaning to the season, and it grounds the thoughts of Augustana students in the midst of semester finals.
"When you combine the joy of a birthday with that birthday being that of our Lord, the inspiration for composers over the centuries has been overwhelming," Johnson says. "Christmas without music is something I cannot even conceive."
Tickets for "All My Heart This Night Rejoices" are available at www.augietickets.com, or at the box office in the Humanities building. The cost for adults is $12 and for students $8. Performance times are as follows: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6.
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