Please join The Genevans in their 80th Christmas program entitled "Offerings in Righteousness" as they glorify God through music this Christmas season!
The Genevans, the student choir of Geneva College, will present their Christmas program in free community concerts on Friday, December 1, and Saturday, December 2, at First Presbyterian Church in Beaver Falls, located at 1103 8th Avenue. The concerts begin at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:15 p.m. and the organ prelude beginning at 6:30 p.m. Audience members are encouraged to arrive early for parking and seating will be in high demand.
The theme, “Offerings in Righteousness,” stems from Handel’s “And He Shall Purify” chorus from the Christmas section of Messiah, and its Malachi 3:3 prophet-warning that the Lord will purify the Levites so that holy sacrifices can be offered to him. Christ clothes his people in his righteousness and enables them to worship him in holiness.
The concert begins with “Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People” by Howard Helvey, bringing into focus that God’s people are called to a new repentance. Ending the concert is “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” with its Malachi reference to the Son of Righteousness.
Conductor David Kenneth Smith notes, “Christ cleanses us and is himself the righteous offering. Receiving such a gift as this, we are left to ponder what we can give. Offering our hearts in worship and holiness is the righteous offering we can bring him.” Smith goes on to say, “Having Christ’s righteousness imputed to us is a central Reformation theme, and singing about it is a great way to end this 500th year.”
The Genevans will premiere “Jewels,” a piece composed by Geneva College Musicologist Dr. Matthew Kickasola, derived from Zechariah 7:12 and 9:16-17a which focuses on people’s need to be saved from their hard hearts. In addition, Biblical Studies professor Dr. Byron Curtis’s “Soli Deo Gloria II” will be performed as well as Dr. David Kenneth Smith’s arrangement of “To God Be the Glory.” These pieces illustrate how people need a Savior, and through Christ we receive a pardon and can offer glory to him. At the end of the evening, the choir will conclude the concert with their traditional surround sound style with the congregation joining them in a Christmas favorite, “Joy to the World.”
The audience can expect performances from additional Geneva College vocal ensembles; the Grace Notes, a women’s ensemble, and the Eight Bells, a double barbershop quartet. Psychology and Music major Christopher McCown Jr., a Senior from Hermitage, PA, will perform the offertory. Michael Kearney ‘17 will perform a 30-minute organ prelude starting at 6:30 p.m.
The concerts are open to the public and free of charge. A free will offering will be taken to aid the choir in their five day tour to the Upper Midwest in March and their international tour to Europe in May. The choir’s newest Christmas CD, Magnify the Lord, which highlights favorites from the three most recent seasons, along with their Crown & Covenant recording of Psalms of Ascent, will both be available for sale before and after the concert.
The Genevans choir exists to glorify God and minister to people through the gift of music. Founded in 1938, the choir continues a rich heritage of choral singing dating from the early years of the college over a century and a half ago. The mission of The Genevans is to engage audiences while glorifying God and ministering with important spiritual truth. Over the course of their long history, The Genevans have acquired a reputation for choral excellence, musical variety and spiritual impact.
For more information, including recordings for purchase, booking information, and The Genevans’ full concert schedule, visit The Genevans on the web at http://www.geneva.edu/genevans, or contact conductor Dr. David Kenneth Smith at (724) 847-6662 or at dksmith@geneva.edu. Stay up-to-date with The Genevans’ concert itinerary by following them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thegenevans.
Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 80 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, Adult Degree Programs with fully online and classroom options, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God’s Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today’s world.
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