Women's Choir's itinerary heats up for the holidays

December is a busy musical season of caroling and performances for singers in the St. Kate’s Women’s Choir.

As the temperature drops outside, things are heating up for the St. Catherine University Women’s Choir. Singers are preparing for their annual Candlelight Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 7, at 8 p.m. in the Our Lady of Victory Chapel on campus.

“We have often talked about [the holiday concert] as our annual gift to the community,” said Dr. Patricia Connors, director of the Women’s Choir and Choral Society at St. Catherine University. “It celebrates, through music and words, the Advent and Christmas season.” The holiday concert is free to all.

Each year, the Candlelight Christmas Concert features themed choral pieces. This year’s theme is “Lo, a Rose,” and centers around Mary, the Mother of God in the Christian faith.

“We always do include some music that honors Mary or refers to Mary, such as Ave Maria or the Magnificat, but this year it’s more the whole theme emphasizing her role in the Christmas story,” said Connors.

The Candlelight Concert will feature a variety of music, including contemporary choral works and classical pieces in a variety of languages. An array of instrumentalists will accompany the Women’s Choir this year, including a string quartet. The repertoire will be interspersed with familiar holiday tunes, with opportunities for audience participation.

Ginger Larson, a 2008 alum of the university and an accomplished pianist, will accompany the St. Kate’s Women’s Choir. Larson has been accompanying the choir since Spring 2013.

Dr. Connors is excited to share this year’s Women’s Choir with the community. However, the annual holiday concert is not the only festive appearance the choir will make this year. In fact, they made their holiday debut at the Feast of St. Catherine mass last week on Monday, November 25. The singers performed five liturgical pieces, as well as the Hymn to St. Catherine and two songs from the holiday concert’s repertoire.

The St. Catherine University Women’s Choir performs in the Our Lady of Victory Chapel during the Feast of St. Catherine mass on Monday, November 25.

This year, the singers will also be taking their Candlelight Concert performance on the road to Jordan, Minnesota, the day after their campus performance.

“We were invited and we’re excited to be able to reproduce the concert somewhere else because we [usually] never get to,” said Connors. “It is great because we get to be emissaries of the college.”

This special extension of the Christmas Concert will begin at 7 p.m. on December 8 at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Jordan, Minnesota.

Along with this second concert, the Women’s Choir will be caroling through the halls of Derham Hall and the Coeur de Catherine on Wednesday, December 11, from 3:00 pm - 4:00 p.m. This is a tradition that the singers look forward to participating in each year.

“I am most excited about all of the Christmas caroling we will be doing this season,” said Jordan Lena ‘20 (Musical Theater and English), Women’s Choir President. “There is something so magical about being able to make music with your best friends. It really puts me in the holiday spirit to share my talents and love of music with the community here at St. Kate’s, and in the greater Twin Cities.”

Other holiday activities involve Femme Vocale, a smaller a cappella group, also led and conducted by Dr. Connors. This group will be caroling in the Linden Hills neighborhood for their “Holiday Wine and Stroll” event on December 12 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., as well as the Saint Paul European Christmas Market on Friday, December 13 from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

“We keep getting invited back to these gigs so I think that’s exciting,” said Connors.

Singers are excited about the holiday season and all the accompanying choir festivities. “I'm definitely looking forward to the Candlelight Christmas Concert,” says Charlotte Kadifa ‘23 (Deciding). “I think Christmas is the holiday with the best songs, both religious and non-religious songs, so I'm excited to sing those songs for an audience. I think the music that we will be performing is beautiful and everyone in the Choir is very talented, so I hope many people will come to the concert to hear us.”