Hundreds of Luther College students perform during Christmas at Luther each year. Holiday concerts have been part of the college’s history for generations, and the theme of the 2023 Christmas at Luther performance (pictured) was “Love, the Rose, Is on the Way.” This year’s theme will be “Seeking Refuge for a Weary World.” (Photo Submitted)
By Seth Boyes,
Students at Luther College are rehearsing for the college’s annual Christmas at Luther program. This year’s performances are scheduled Dec. 5-8.
Andrew Last, artistic director of Christmas at Luther and the college’s director of choral activities, said the yearly musical celebration marks the beginning of the Christmas season for many attendees and it serves to bring the college and the broader community together — be they long-time local residents or first-year students acclimating to life in northeast Iowa.
“It’s an incredible event, where we get to showcase all that is good about Luther College, and then invite 8,000 to 10,000 people onto our campus and into our community to revel in how beautiful the downtown area is — just get a little bit of nostalgia about what a small-town holiday festival feels like,” Last said.
The theme of this year’s performance is “Seeking Refuge for a Weary World.” Last said organizers believe the theme may resonate with audiences, following a year of somewhat tumultuous events on the national and world stage.
“Obviously, we wanted to honor the season of Advent, but maybe come at it from a little bit different perspective, talking about the place — the place in which unique and diverse people all came to on that night,” Last said. “We had shepherds, and royalty, and animals, and a couple who were looking for a place to find safety and refuge.”
Christmas at Luther is held inside the main hall of Luther College’s Center for Faith and Life — a space capable of seating more than 1,400 people — and Last said the backdrop for this year’s performance will resemble a cracked and worn barn structure. He encouraged attendees to focus on the setting of the Nativity during next week’s performances, rather than gravitate toward specific characters often associated with the Christmas story.
“We want people to kind of reflect upon that place — the place that people came to celebrate the birth of Christ,” Last said. “How does that work into their own lives? Are their lives a place where we welcome the stranger and find a place for them to find safety and warmth and to gather there?”
Full article available in the November 28 Decorah Leader.
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