Over 300 voices will fill the air of the Barrus Concert Hall with the spirit of the season in the Christmas Invitational Concert presented by the Women’s and University Choirs with special guests Sugar-Salem High School Choirs and the Anam Cara Chamber Choir from Idaho Falls.
They will sing Christmas classics like “Away in a Manger” and “Holly Jolly Christmas” along with two new compositions. University choir director Rebecca Harrell feels it’s a great opportunity for the choir to share their testimonies of Jesus Christ at Christmas.
“What we try to do is share our testimonies as we're singing,” Harrell said. “But that also applies to any other songs that we're doing that we're working for unity and performing together. So, it's a great opportunity for all students to come together and join and get to sing together and feel the spirit and then also express themselves musically.”
The concert is this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Barrus Concert Hall in the Snow Building on campus. Women’s Chorus director Atina Coates is looking forward to hearing the choirs sing in the hall.
“When you get that many singers in the Barrus Hall, which the Barrus Hall is one of the top acoustical performing halls the side of the Mississippi, it's a really neat hall to perform in,” Coates said. “The acoustics that you get in that hall, when you get that many voices, it's really powerful.”
The directors hope the audience will feel joy and remember the savior as they watch the concert.
“I think the spirit of Christmas has to do with remembering that we are joyful and sometimes we forget that during the year,” Harrell said. “So he is born and we need to remember that that's a true thing. He's not just some mythical figure, but he's born, and we can have joy in that.”
A reception will follow the concert with cookies and brownies for the audience. You can buy tickets at tickets.byui.edu.