The voices of 150 of the college’s finest vocalists will fill the sanctuary of College Baptist Church at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, as they serenade the audience with songs of the season.
Director of Orchestras and Choirs James Holleman will conduct the Hillsdale College Choir and Chamber Choir as they sing a combination of sacred and secular Christmas music, with a few non-seasonal pieces that fit stylistically.
“The bulk of what we do is accapella, and we have created a tradition of acapella singing which is really true choral singing,” Holleman said.
Various students will have the opportunity to perform a solo within each choral piece. Senior Sarah Schutte will sing the soprano solo in a new arrangement of “Away in a Manger.”
“It is very exciting to sing on the collegiate level, especially with the wonderful repertoire we perform,” Schutte said. “Professor Holleman does a fantastic job with the singers, and he works hard to make it a positive learning experience for us. He also really helps the community since he works hard to know not just names, but voice types of the individual singers.”
Eager parents and students have already reserved all 450 seats for this Saturday, but Holleman encourages everyone interested to come, ticket or no ticket, as he and the rest of the music department are working in the spirit of Christmas to accommodate as many audience members as possible.
“It is just joyous,” Holleman said. “We are singing music of the season…It is a vocal celebration of Christmas.”