The Buzz around “Rejoice and Sing”: the Christmas concert makes its debut

MOORHEAD – The holiday season officially began this weekend with the opening of this year’s Concordia Christmas Concert titled “Rejoice and Sing”.  

Students, faculty and members of the community gathered at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1 for the opening night of the 97 annual show, featuring Concordia’s three choirs, the orchestra and the handbell choir.  

“The Emmy Award-winning Concordia Christmas Concerts are a regional highlight during the holiday season, featuring our choirs and orchestra performing in front of a newly created mural each year,” the Christmas Concert’s website said.  

The concert features over 300 students between the Concordia Choir, the Chapel Choir, the Kantorei Choir, the orchestra and the handbell choir. Many students look forward to this time of the year as they get to ring in and rejoice in the holiday spirit with thousands of audience members.  

“I am a part of the Concordia Choir and I absolutely love working with such great musicians for this concert. Being able to see the magic happen with our audiences and seeing them feel inspired by our music is one of the highlights of being in the choir,” sophomore, Megan Gunnerson said.  

Though the Christmas concerts are a massive conglomeration of hard work and dedication, each year many new audience members experience the magic of the concert and come back year after year.  

“This is my first time seeing the choirs sing, and I didn’t know what to expect. It was so amazing and I didn’t realize how much musical talent we had within our school. The band was also amazing, and I can’t wait to see them perform again!” first-year student, Emma Doty said.  

Performing four times in Moorhead, Minn. and twice in Minneapolis, Minn. at Orchestra Hall, the musicians get to perform a variety of music for a variety of audiences. For those who were unable to attend in person, you may register for the virtual Concordia Christmas Concert, according to the Concordia Christmas Concert’s website.  

“This year, we will video record our 2023 concerts at Orchestra Hall and create a one-hour version of the concert to make available for online, on-demand viewing from the comfort of your own home Dec. 21, 2023 through Jan. 2, 2024. Registration is required to view the video. Register before Dec. 21 for only $25!” the website said.