Southwestern musicians declare ‘Christ the Savior is born’ at Prelude to Christmas

Adorned with poinsettias, candelabras, garland, Christmas trees, and white Christmas lights, MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary was transformed into the festive location for the School of Church Music and Worship’s (SCMW) Prelude to Christmas on Nov. 10 and 11. Ensembles and bands of Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College (TBC) students and faculty performed 24 songs throughout the presentation.

President David S. Dockery welcomed guests to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s School of Church Music and Worship’s “Prelude to Christmas: Christ the Savior is Born” the evening of Nov. 10. The annual event features the student and faculty choirs and ensembles, as well as instrumental groups, from the institution’s music school.

“It is a joy to welcome you here to this very special event, and we are delighted to have you here on the Southwestern campus,” said President David S. Dockery during the Nov. 10 performance. “We call this ‘Prelude to Christmas: Christ the Savior is Born,’ and we hope that everything that is done through this will bring honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, to recognize that He indeed is the one who came as our Savior.”

During the worship, there were four parts: “Sounds of the Season”; “Christ the Savior Anticipated”; “Christ the Savior is Born”; and “Christ the Savior is Celebrated.”

“Christmas music is so beloved in part because of the variety of styles and musical genres represented in anything from carols to intimate solos around the manger, to triumphant angelic choruses,” said Joseph Crider, dean of the SCMW. “Our students do an amazing job of capturing the varying flavors and styles of Christmas music – from traditional choral works to jazz standards and everything in between. The evening is also saturated with Scripture and the story of Christ’s birth.”

Crider said that the event provides an opportunity for students to serve in ministry to the people who attend the concert. He said that the vision of Prelude to Christmas is to “encourage our own community” through the performance.

“This program is a reflection of God’s blessings on the SCMW,” Crider said, adding that the school has “an incredible faculty and amazing students from all over the world” who “use their gifts to point people to Christ.”

Joseph R. Crider, dean of the School of Church Music and Worship, navigated audience members through the four parts of the “Prelude to Christmas: Christ the Savior is Born” during the Nov. 10 performance.

Throughout the presentation, the musical groups that performed included Southwestern Singers, TBC Choir, Southwestern A Cappella, Southwestern Men’s Chorus, Southwestern Children’s Choir, TBC Band, Cowden Hall Band, a piano quartet, a piano ensemble, a guitar ensemble, and several solos, duets, and quartets.

Before part I began during Friday’s performance, Crider said that this event is an “opportunity to share with the community” and “sing these wonderful songs of the season.”

Part I began with “Ding! Dong! Merrily on High” and then moved into a piano ensemble version of “Mary Did You Know?” The three other songs from part I were “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” “Carol of the Bells,” and “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella.”

Emily Myers, Jihye Cheon, Konley Lincecum, and Victoria Cantu, students in the School of Church Music and Worship, performed “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” in parts, singing the Christ-centered Christmas song in Spanish, Hebrew, Korean, and English.

In part II, the TBC Band performed “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” and “O Children Come,” which introduced the Southwestern Music Academy’s Children’s Choir. The children’s choir sang “Advent Hymn” and “How Many Kings.” To end part II, four students sang “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” in four different languages including Korean, Spanish, Hebrew, and English.

Part III, “Christ the Savior is Born,” brought songs about the incarnation of Christ. The Cowden Hall Band opened the part with “What Christmas Really Means,” which was followed by Southwestern A Cappella performing “Mary, Did You Know?” “Mary’s Song,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “O Holy Child,” and “I Believe.”

Peng Wang, a student in the School of Church Music and Worship, played bass for a jazzy rearrangement of the French Christmas carol, “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella.”

The final part of the event, part IV, began with “Silent Night” in the style of jazz, performed by an ensemble of the Cowden Hall Band, Southwestern A Cappella, Southwestern Singers, and the TBC Choir. During the performance of the song, the choirs walked down the aisles of MacGorman Chapel, holding candles, and singing along to the classic Christmas hymn.

“Come, Messiah King,” performed by Southwestern A Cappella, followed the ensemble performance. Then “Cradle Hymn” and “Angels We Have Heard on High” were performed by Southwestern Singers. “O Holy Night” was performed twice, once instrumentally on the piano and once by a men’s quartet. “Joy to the World” was then performed by the mass ensemble of Southwestern Singers, Southwestern A Cappella, and TBC Choir.

Southwestern Singers and Texas Baptist College Choir, accompanied by the Southwestern Piano Quartet, opened the Nov. 10 with a rendition of “Ding! Dong! Merrily on High.” The singers and musicians are all students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The event concluded with the Cowden Hall Band performing “O Come, Let Us Adore Him with Only a Holy God.” During the final performance, the band encouraged all in attendance to join them in worshiping God through singing the song together.

“The theme of this year is a unique piece as it is often easy to be distracted during the chaos of the holidays,” said Brock James, a Master of Music with a concentration in worship leadership student before the Friday evening presentation. “But in the end, it’s supposed to be a reminder of the greatest gift, the Savior coming as a baby to save the world.”

James added that he enjoys how the integration of “different musical styles and groups is done exceptionally well.”

Watch the performance here.