St. Olaf Christmas Festival

Love Divine

Love Divine, that was the theme of this year’s St. Olaf Christmas Festival.

The St. Olaf Christmas Festival program.

After cancelling the festival last year during the pandemic, the Christmas Festival was back this season, strong and beautiful. It felt like a worship service, with praise songs, Christmas music and scripture readings, all focusing on God’s love, and the birth of Jesus.

The participants and concert goers were carefully monitored. Everyone was masked…even the performers who were singing! Every ticket holder had to show proof of COVID vaccination before entering the building. The students and conductors all had multiple COVID tests planned throughout the days leading up to the festival, and during the performance dates.

It felt wonderful to be back, sitting in Skoglund Auditorium (transformed from a gym every year) and listening to magnificent music, performed with energy and dedication, by the St. Olaf students. What a blessing!

Even through masks, the singing was glorious. However, the St. Olaf Choir director, Anton Armstrong, tested positive for COVID a few days before the first performance, so he was unable to attend the Festival. That must have been hard for him.

The St. Olaf orchestra does an astounding job under the leadership of Steven Amundson. The orchestra sounds like professional musicians. I loved the compositions played in the festival. Steven Amundson has been the orchestra conductor at St. Olaf for 40 years, and this is his last Christmas Festival. He is retiring at the end of the academic year. He is loved by the students and will be missed by many.

Although Anton Armstrong always conducts the final piece at the festival, because he was not in attendance Steven Amundson was able to step in for Anton and direct the signature ending piece, Beautiful Savior. What a marvelous, and meaningful, way for Steven to end his last Christmas Festival at St. Olaf College.

2020 St. Olaf Christmas Concert

We’ve put up our Christmas tree, added some decorations around the house, readied Christmas cards for mailing and finished our Christmas shopping.

And, this past Sunday we listened to Christmas from St. Olaf, an online, digital concert featuring St. Olaf College music ensembles and a compilation of songs from previous Christmas Festivals. It was created as an offering to replace the beloved in-person St. Olaf Christmas Festival which couldn’t happen this year because of the global pandemic.

The concert didn’t get off to a smooth start. But then it is 2020. Things are not going well this year.

The screen display on computers for the 2020 *Christmas from St. Olaf* digital concert.

As a previous ticket coordinator for this popular event we had our share of problems when we first offered tickets online so the concert glitch brought back memories of my time at St. Olaf… the difficult but also the good… friendships made and festivals attended, all bringing a sense of gratitude for my time on the hill. As many concert goers told me over and over and over again, the Christmas Festival was the start of their Christmas celebrations. It has become that for me.

The technology was worked out and we were able to connect to the digital concert and hear some beautiful, hope-filled music. The signature finale “Beautiful Saviour” was included and that made everything right. I now have a sense the Christmas season has begun and we can start celebrating the birth of Jesus.

When I was the Christmas Festival Ticket Coordinator at St. Olaf College people told me over and over again that the Festival was a tradition they didn’t want to miss! Sometimes they’d get frantic about it (ha) but after many years of going myself I’m beginning to understand.

The Festival has become a tradition for us, a beautiful way to start the Christmas season. We attended the Festival last evening and were not disappointed. This year’s theme is, A New Song of Grace and Truth.

The Christmas Festival always features five St. Olaf choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra, and this year included the Handbell Choir for one of the orchestra pieces (approximately 600 students). The music is varied and there is something new each year, but the Festival always ends with the choirs and orchestra all singing their rendition (arranged by F. Melius Christiansen) of “Beautiful Savior” as the student voices surround the auditorium.

Anticipating the concert is fun and excitement builds the day of. Being in the lobby with the crowds, seeing the new set design, reading the program and being surrounded by college students is entertaining. Then we find our seats, the glorious music begins and two hours later it’s all over, and another successful Festival has provided a delightful evening and a great start to the Christmas season.

The St. Olaf Christmas Festival

The 2018 St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Good News of Great Joy, was performed over the weekend, and we were in attendance for one of the productions. It has become a tradition for us, and ushers in our Christmas season.

The program for 2018 St. Olaf Christmas Festival.

I smile when I think of my first year working as the Christmas Festival ticket coordinator several years ago. Many people told me that same thing, “the St. Olaf Christmas Festival is a tradition to begin their Christmas season”. If something would go wrong in securing their tickets they would get feisty. It’s as though Christmas would not happen if they did not get their tickets to the Festival to start the season!

Years later, I understand the reason behind their thinking. It is a fabulous event and the timing is wonderful…after Thanksgiving and before Advent. I love going to it each year, and it does start our Christmas season out right (but I also remember the reason for the season and it’s not the Christmas Festival.)

Beautiful Christmas ornaments adorn the trees in the student center.

Music was the theme for the decorated Christmas trees in Buntrock Commons (the student center) with fun ribbon, musical instrument ornaments and more. There were four, gorgeous trees flanking the fireplace creating a festive atmosphere for people gathering in the commons area. They are set up and trimmed for the students, faculty, staff, and visitors to enjoy.

I love this musical note ribbon intertwined in the trees.

The set design for the St. Olaf Christmas Festival in the auditorium was beautiful. Wide swaths of fabric criss-crossed the back of the stage and a lighting crew would somehow change the colors on the fabrics during the concert.

The orchestra warming up before the performance. The backdrop for the performance changed colors as different lighting worked its wonders.

This year’s music selection was wonderful and the five choirs and orchestra sang and played their hearts out for two hours, leaving the audience in awe of another amazing performance from the students. A few scripture verses are always read, making it feel more like a service than a concert.

Decorations on the Christmas Trees in Buntrock Commons.

I love and cherish the traditional ending song, Beautiful Savior, and it always brings tears to my eyes.

Even though I am no longer an employee of St. Olaf College, I think I will always feel a part of the Christmas Festival. It is near and dear to my heart and I am grateful to be able to attend this event and begin our Christmas season with fine music, carols and songs of praise. It is a special gift.