It’s officially the holiday season at Gustavus, and I’d like to wish a Happy Hanukkah to everyone who will be celebrating this week.
As we look ahead to all of the merriment that takes place in December, final preparations for Christmas in Christ Chapel (CinCC) are underway. I am excited to attend all four services, starting on Thursday evening and going through Sunday afternoon. We will welcome guests on campus again this year for the CinCC events (with proof of vaccination), and the Saturday night service will be broadcast and archived online, so please tune in to watch the livestream if you are not planning to attend the event in person.
The theme for this year’s CinCC is “We Shall Go Forth Singing.” The Planning and Production Team began their work on the program almost a year ago, and our choirs, orchestra, dancers, and bell choir have been working throughout the fall semester to bring the theme to life. To these performing groups as well as the many people helping behind the scenes, thank you. This is one of the signature events of the College, and we are proud of the hard work and the standard of excellence that is upheld in bringing this service to our campus community, alumni, parents, and friends of the College.
I love music, and I love singing. I’m an amateur, not a professional by any stretch of the imagination, but I started singing as soon as I could talk (according to my mother). Singing was a big part of daily life in my family, and especially during church on Sunday mornings while my father was preaching.
I grew up with my mother singing alto and my father jumping between tenor and bass, and I joined the church choir as soon as I was old enough to do so. Something about singing in a large group brings tears of joy to my eyes, especially when the music is full of beautiful harmony. Now, I fully recognize that the Gustavus musicians come from all faith backgrounds, and some have no particular religious affiliation, but nevertheless, we know how to do music and we do it really well. We can all be very proud of that tradition at Gustavus. So join in this weekend and sing along, especially to that final Christmas carol that closes the CinCC service every year, O Come All Ye Faithful.
Yours in community,
President Bergman