BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Genevans, the student choir of Geneva College, will present their 81st Christmas program in free community concerts on Friday, November 30, and Saturday, December 1 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 “Glory!” is a continuation and further refinement of our spring 2018 theme Soli Deo Gloria, which is “To God Alone be Glory” in Latin. The concert begins with the text the angels sang “Glory to God in highest!” The choir continues by singing how Christ is born, our Prince of Peace and King of Glory. Handel’s familiar Messiah chorus on Psalm 24 calls on the gates to open, so that the King of Glory may come in. Bradbury’s simple setting of Psalm 19 is a reminder that God reveals His glory in the skies above. The glory of God surrounds all. Russian composer Alexander Gretchaninov draws his listeners into Simeon the priest’s intimate encounter with the Christ Child. Simeon held Jesus in his arms and said, “Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation… a light to the gentiles and the glory of Thy people.”
The concert explores how composers have sought to portray glory; one common musical motif use is the melisma. “When a composer wants to illustrate singing, and in this case, the singing of angels, they often spread a word over several notes. This is called a melisma,” explains The Genevans’ conductor David Kenneth Smith. “It is a challenge to portray glory. How does one express the inexpressible?”
This concert will include all four movements of Geneva Biblical Studies professor Dr. Byron Curtis’s “Soli Deo Gloria.” The Genevans sang the second movement of this work this spring in their Upper Midwest and Europe tours. Another returning piece is "Pilgrims’ Hymn," which reminds those who seek the words to glorify God, He hears their prayers.
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,” which includes the idea that the nations are proving “the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.”
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. Michael Kearney ‘17 will perform a 30-minute organ prelude including a Passacaglia and Fugue by Bach and "Cathedral Windows" by Karg-Elert 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 ten-day tour west to Colorado in March. 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 115 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs 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 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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