Festival of Lights, The Christmas Gift bring sounds of the season to Mississippi College
Two musical productions scheduled in December will set a joyful tone for the holiday season at Mississippi College.
The MC Singers will delight audiences by telling the story of Christmas through music during the annual Festival of Lights, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4, 5 and 6, in Provine Chapel.
The performances will tell the story of humanity’s fall, the promise of the coming Messiah, and the birth of Jesus as documented in Genesis, the Old Testament’s prophetic books, and the Gospels. Selected MC faculty and staff members will read passages from Scripture between each selection.
Beth Everett, MC director of choral activities, said this year’s Festival of Lights performance marks an important milestone in her career at MC.
“This is my Fourth Festival of Lights and my first set of seniors who were with me when they were freshmen,” Everett said. “There’s something special about the students who have been on that journey with me for four years, so we’re bringing back some of the most popular selections from the last four years.
“I think people will enjoy hearing some things they’ve heard before.”
The annual Festival of Lights at MC dates back to 1986 when Mississippi College faculty members joined the MC Singers under the direction of Richard Joiner to present a program of music and scripture readings in the English tradition of “Lessons and Carols.” This year’s service will continue that tradition for a new generation of students.
The following week, Opera Mississippi will return to Mississippi College to present “The Christmas Gift,” a production composed by James Sclater, an award-winning composer, musician and retired MC professor from Clinton.
Performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12 and at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, in the Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall in the Aven Fine Arts Building.
Everett said the Department of Music’s strong relationship with Opera Mississippi makes “The Christmas Gift” a natural fit for MC.
Originally composed in 1981, “The Christmas Gift” has become a cherished tradition at MC, where it will be performed for the sixth time. Perfect for audiences of all ages, the touching opera captures the spirit of the holidays and the timeless message of giving from the heart.
For many, Christmas is the busiest season of the year. Everett would certainly agree. On Monday, Dec. 1, she will make her Carnegie Hall debut, conducting the finale of a concert featuring music composed by her longtime friend, Mary McDonald.
“It is such an incredible honor that she would entrust me with the premiere of her brand-new work,” said Everett, who will take about 35 members of the Mississippi Chorus to be part of the event.
Everett will also lead about three dozen MC Singers on an international tour of Europe during the Christmas Break. They’ll begin in Rothenburg, Germany, and work their way through Munich, Salzburg and Vienna, Austria, performing at every stop.
The trip represents the first international choir tour Everett has conducted.
“It should be a fantastic trip, and I hope to offer every group of students a chance to travel internationally at least once during their four years at MC.”
Everett added that being able to present Scripture through music makes the upcoming Festival of Lights a meaningful gift for the holiday season.
“There's no other text that has fulfilled prophecies the way the Bible does,” she said. “The Festival of Lights helps people understand that Christmas is not just in the New Testament; it is alluded to throughout the Old Testament as well, that Jesus would be born as our Savior.
“We’d like for people to realize that we were not thought of by our Heavenly Father halfway into history, but we were on His mind from the very beginning of creation.”
General admission tickets for Festival of Lights cost $20 each for adults, $10 each for MC faculty, staff and students and senior citizens, and free for children 4 and younger. Additional donations are welcome. All proceeds will be reinvested in the Department of Music at MC. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.music.mc.edu.
Tickets to Opera Mississippi’s performances of “The Christmas Gift” cost $35 each. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.operams.org.
Sign-up For Our Newsletter
Get the latest news about Mississippi College delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Along College Street e-newsletter.
