Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

I’ve known about William Jessup University’s “Celebrate Christmas” concerts for years, and tonight was my first chance to experience this tradition ─ the Friday night performance that was the first of 4 to be held this weekend. I’ll confess right now that I was dazzled by what I experienced. Here’s how the evening went for me, starting with my arrival about a half-hour before the concert was to begin.

WJU’s Event Warehouse is a vast room with a 25-foot ceiling, exposed pipes, and equipment that includes stage lighting. For tonight's concert, folding chairs were set up on the cement floor, and I guess that they could have accommodated at least 600 people. I chose a seat at the very back. It was a little chilly in the semi-lit room, but the high spirits of the arriving audience members somehow made it feel warmer.

Seats were set on the stage for the orchestra of about 24 members. Beyond them was a bit of open stage, then risers, then a 12-foot curtain. Six blue lights lit the curtain from above, and there were 4 “wandering” spotlights set up along the top of the curtain. On the walls on either side of the stage were large screens displaying a slide show of candid pictures of music students.

The warehouse had been partitioned to create another adjacent room, and I explored it while waiting for the concert to start. It was spacious, and decorated with many Christmas trees.  One, laden with gift cards, was the prize in a raffle. In a far corner, 8 members of the Jessup Jazz Band were playing holiday music. Along one end of the room were tables where snacks and drinks could be purchased for a modest price. Near the door was a “store” for Music Department-branded merchandise: CDs, mugs, shirts, coffee, etc. I returned to my seat, and in a few moments I noticed that the Jazz Band had stopped playing, to be replaced by soft recorded contemporary music.

At 5 minutes to the announced start time of the concert, a ten-minute countdown clock appeared on the screens, accompanied by seasonal music. Over the next 10 minutes, clock displays were alternated with brief snatches of familiar seasonal video: “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “A Christmas Story,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “White Christmas,” “Elf,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It struck me as a great way to settle the audience down — and keep them abreast of how much time they had to get to their seats.

The orchestra members had taken their places before the videos started to be shown, and in the semi-darkened room and with the video, I didn’t even notice the singers taking their place on the risers. With the countdown clock at zero, the stage was brightly lit on an impressive assemblage. There were about 110 singers representing the University Chorus and the Concert Choir. Each group had its own dress, so with two sexes, there were 4 different outfits. What was interesting about the arrangement was that there appeared to be none. Both choirs seemed to be mixed, and there seemed to be no sections for voice parts.

When they burst into song — and I mean “burst” — the effect was tremendous. The first song was “Sing We Now of Christmas” in an arrangement for orchestra and chorus that was itself exciting. But it was the animation of the singers that really struck me. They were beyond joyful, and the energy they expended could have lit a city. Their singing was crystal clear, helped with amplification that made every word come through. As they sang, live images of small groups of the singers and players were displayed on the screens bordering the stage — a nice touch since most of the audience was too far from the performers to see their faces clearly.

(Click here to open the program in a new window.)

The next piece, “Yuletide Medley” was briefly noted on the screens as it began. I don’t recall all the songs that were included, but “Silver Bells” was one, and this was another high-energy performance. Despite the large number of singers, their sound was perfectly unified, due partly to the fact that this piece (and every other one on this evening) was memorized — and to the fact that the singers had a laser-focused attention on director Tom Ruscica.

The aisles in this venue were wide enough that a little 3-year-old girl in front of me was able to dance while the singing was going on. But like this little girl, it seemed that the singers never stood still. After a while, I realized that every one of them was bouncing — something I had never seen in a chorus before. Later I learned that they were taught to do this, to keep their knees loose and to move with the music or when modeled to do so by their director. Looking back, I can see how it amplified their energy, accentuated key parts of the music (e.g. a crescendo), and helped them stay on pitch. From the audience’s perspective, the bouncing singers (along with their smiles and obvious joy in singing) added to the excitement of the music. Long afterward I realized that I’d never seen this in the many adult choruses I’ve observed because older knees don’t work as well, and energy is less abundant and something to be conserved. I have to add that watching these exuberant young people would be enough to take years, if not decades, off the aging spirits of the older audience members.

Before the start of the third number, “Children, Go Where I Send Thee,” director Tom Ruscica spoke to the audience, first introducing the choirs. His manner was folksy as he referred to his notes on a small tablet computer. He went on to introduce the soloists for this piece, giving a little of their background and chatting briefly with them. This was something that Ruscica returned to often during the concert. He had obviously taken the trouble to get to know many of his music students and took pleasure in giving the audience a peek into their lives: their majors, their other activities, and their aspirations. I think everyone, students included, appreciated this personal touch.

I’ve heard lively arrangements of “Children, Go Where I Send Thee,” but never one that rocked like this one did. The energy was practically overpowering, and each of the two soloists had the voice and stage presence of a pop star.

At this point Ruscica introduced the Crossroads performing troupe. He described it as a student-run group, and as far as I could tell it consisted of 3 young men and 3 young women. Most of them appeared to be instrumentalists as well as singers, and for their first number, “White Christmas,” singers were accompanied by a stand-up bass, trumpet, sax, electric piano and percussion — though some of those may have been played by people not actually part of Crossroads. The piece itself was an upbeat, jazz arrangement, with incidental instrumental solos and even a bit of scat singing.

“Go Tell It on the Mountain” was Crossroads’ next selection, and a rock version of that song was enhanced by keyboard, electronic bass, acoustic guitar, percussion — and a tambourine. I have to say that the members of Crossroads are sophisticated performers, and the voices on display for this pop music seemed to me to be of commercial quality. Toward the end of the song, the chorus returned, and the music transformed seamlessly into a choral version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” — the song popularized by Diana Ross in 1970.

Now it was time for a break in “Celebrate Christmas.” A video was played with student actors promoting each of the items available in the Music Department’s “store” in the adjacent room, giving the audience a suggestion for how they should spend their time during the coming intermission.

The combined choir was now directed by Lyndsay Barham, billed as the director of the Concert Choir. “See Amid the Winter’s Snow” was a gentle piece in contrast to the first 3 numbers on tonight’s program, but there wasn’t any less enthusiasm in its performance by the students. I heard another excellent solo voice (sadly none were identified in the program), and as I listened to the chorus, it struck me that all the singing I was hearing was “bright” — at the top end of the pitch. Of course, the accompaniment from the orchestra was nearly continuous throughout the evening, helping the pitch, but I never heard a hint of flatting in a cappella sections.

“Mary, Did You Know” was an intensely beautiful song, and it seemed to me to highlight the work of the orchestra — at least more so than earlier selections in which one’s attention was captured by the enthusiasm of the singers. If the singers were the performers on this stage, the instrumentalists were the artists — no excess energy, just accurate, sensitive playing. And with a good balance between the large string section and the woodwinds, brass, keyboard and percussion — there was effective support for all the choral music.

“The Prince of Peace” was the final selection before intermission, and it was completely based on Biblical text. While it was being performed, I thought about what I had been seeing and hearing. There was no question that the stage just overflowed with personality. But there was good choral singing: delicate “piano” sections, strong moments of “forte” that were still under control, effective dynamics, etc.

When the intermission arrived, it felt like we had already heard a full concert in that first hour. But the great majority of the audience took the opportunity to stretch their legs, get refreshments, and buy the Jessup Music goods. Interestingly, the student performers were free to circulate among the audience, greeting family and friends.

I haven’t said anything about the lighting, but it was an integral part of this concert. There was obviously an elaborate lighting plan, with frequent changes of colors, and lighting effects from various points in and around the stage. One type of lighting was what I want to call “wandering” lights: brilliant white lighting that is moving and projected out into the audience during a performance. These were used frequently tonight and gave the air of a pop concert. However, I’ll confess that I found it a bit annoying to have this lighting shining in my face every minute or so.

The first selection after intermission was “Festival Gloria,” a piece with exclusively Latin text and uplifting, but unfamiliar melodies. At its conclusion, director Ruscica translated the Latin text for us, noting it was about the birth of Jesus.

Next, Crossroads returned to perform “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” It was a drum-heavy rock setting of the song, and as they were performing, it struck me that the lead singer could easily be a recording artist. Crossroads’ next piece was “O Holy Night.” In blue light and with the performers in shadow, it was a vocal jazz arrangement that included some truly impressive harmonies.

Then came “Christmas Time Is Here.” Most of us think of this piece as a number from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. As such, one wouldn’t think of it as a suitable “ministry moment,” which the Crossroads spokesperson said they intended it to be. But that’s the way it turned out. It had a gentle beginning with solo acoustic guitar and a single voice, soon joined by another for 2-part harmony. Then there was a dramatic piano solo followed by a Peanuts-character voice which asked “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Then followed the Christmas story in those same Peanuts child voices accompanied by a video that illustrated the setting in an animated black-on-white charcoal-type drawing. (I'm guessing this was all from the TV special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”)  Then more dramatic music and a return to the simple instrumental and vocal beginning. All in all, it was an impressive, reverential presentation.

For “Silent Night” the singers entered the darkened warehouse, and surrounded the audience with a lovely, 4-part arrangement of that classic Christmas carol. “Jesus, Born on This Day” was an orchestral and solo-voice setting, with a message that reminded me that this concert was taking place at a Christian university. Once again we heard another excellent soloist while the chorus used the time to reassemble on stage.

At this point, Ruscica introduced “Christ Is Born” as a hit from last year’s “Celebrate Christmas” and a cut on one of their CDs. Four young men came out front, and Ruscica interacted with each, giving a little of their background and engaging in a bit of banter. When they sang, each demonstrated a truly big, professional-quality voice, and their dramatic performance was continued by the chorus behind them. It was reverential music, essentially a praise song, enhanced with a strong orchestral part and lighting effects. The audience reacted strongly at its conclusion, jumping to their feet with extended applause.

As the applause faded, a gentleman identifying himself as Tom Sasser came forward, explaining that he was a newcomer to the Jessup community and was there to represent the University’s President. Commenting that the previous piece of music was “profound and moving,” he went on to explain that WJU is about “bringing people together for the mission of the gospel.” After a few more words, he turned the audience’s attention to the chorus, which performed the fastest “Jingle Bells” you’ve ever heard, full of unusual rhythms, extra lyrics, and humorous effects. The great fun of this piece brought the audience to its feet again, and Sasser took the microphone once more to “close the evening in prayer.”

I came to my first “Celebrate Christmas” concert not really knowing what to expect. As much a show as a choral concert, it was a dazzling experience that has me looking forward to returning next year.