Abbot Pennings answers a question about Festival of Christmas, archived from the SNC website

Ciske, Mackenzie, \u2717

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St. Norbert College

St. Norbert College Digital Commons @ St. Norbert College Ask the Abbot Alumni Relations 12-2021 How long has the college presented its annual Festival of Christmas? Mackenzie Ciske '17 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/asktheabbot Alumni Ask the Abbot November 2021December 2021Question:Dear Abbot Pennings,How long has the college presented its annual Festival ofChristmas?Mackenzie Ciske ’17 (College Advancement)Answer:My dearest Mackenzie,I always look forward to this favorite holiday tradition oncampus! The Festival of Christmas showcases the talents ofhundreds of St. Norbert music students performing Christmascompositions both old and new, followed by a receptionfeaturing warm holiday drinks, delicious gourmet desserts andmusic from smaller ensembles. The evening also includes thepresentation of the Christmas Angel Award, which honorsfriends who have made special contributions to our musicprograms and to the cultural life of our community.This year’s Festival of Christmas was the 28th since itsinception in 1994, according to our own Michael Rosewall,professor of music, who was instrumental – if you’ll pardonmy pun – in creating the event as a holiday gift from the musicdepartment to the entire community. Over the years, theFestival evolved from a pair of matched concerts with themessuch as “Traditional Music of the Season,” “Blessing theAnimals” and “A Norbertine Christmas,” to the current trio ofofferings: the traditional Festival concert in the Hall of FineArts; the Brass & Organ Christmas Spectacular, held in thechurch at St. Norbert Abbey; and Christmas With the Knights,As the founder of St.Norbert College, andhaving a prime seat in thecenter of campusthroughout the years, I,Abbot Bernard Pennings,hold the answers to manyof your burning questionsabout the college.Submit Your QuestionAsk the AbbotAlumniEvents & ReunionsBehind the ArchBenefits and ServicesGet InvolvedGive to SNCAlumni AwardsKnight LightsAlumni-OwnedBusinesses NetworkAlumni BoardStudent AlumniAmbassadorsStaffALUMNI  PARENTS  LOCAL COMMUNITY  STUDENTS  FACULTY & STAFF  A-Z INDEXAcademics  Admission  Campus Life  Living Norbertine  Athletics  About  which features the Knights on Broadway performing popularseasonal favorites, usually in Dudley Birder Hall. I highlyrecommend all three!In 2018, the music department partnered with our hard-working offices of admission and student affairs to take thefestival on the road for the first time, delivering a sold-outperformance in the Chicago area for an audience of roughly700 people. President Bruess himself opened the concert witha Christmas welcome. The show combined music withreflective holiday readings and Bible verses with ashowstopping finale from Handel’s “Messiah” (a personalfavorite!) that included all 150-plus performers from fourinstrumental ensembles and three choirs. Last year, not even a pandemic could stop the Festival, whichwas held virtually to bring much-needed Christmas cheer amidchallenging circumstances. Blessedly, 2021 brought a return tothe in-person performance that so many of us have come tolove – especially as we near this particular Christmas Day,which will mark 900 years since the Norbertine order wasfounded in Prémontré, France. Much to celebrate, indeed! Mackenzie, I wish you and all my readers a spirituallyrejuvenating holiday season with an abundance of warmth,gratitude, generosity and good company of family and friends.Responses to “Ask the Abbot” questions are penned by St.Norbert College staff in the name of Abbot Bernard Pennings,who founded St. Norbert College in 1898. St. Norbert College100 Grant Street De Pere, WI 54115 920-337-3181 Map & Directions Contact UsCareersLibraryNewsEventsBox OfficeUndergraduateGraduateSchneider School ofBusiness & Economics© 2021 St. Norbert College  |   Nondiscrimination Policy  |   Land Acknowledgement  |   Privacy Statement  |  Site Accessibility  |  Title IX

How long has the college presented its annual Festival of Christmas?

https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1161&context=asktheabbot

How long has the college presented its annual Festival of Christmas?

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