Ouachita to present A Festival of Christmas Nov. 30 & Dec. 1

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November 16, 2018 - Brooke Woessner

Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Fine Arts will present its annual A Festival of Christmas performances on Friday, Nov. 30, and Saturday, Dec. 1, both at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. The theme for this year’s production is “Let Us Adore Him.”

“There is a song that begins the second half of the program titled ‘Let Us Adore Him.’ That is the central theme of our show and the theme of A Festival of Christmas,” said Dr. Gary Gerber, dean of Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts. “It is a celebration of the Christmas season, but, more importantly, it is an expression of praise and adoration for God sending His Son to the earth.”

Ouachita’s choral ensembles, including Concert Choir, Ouachita Singers, Women’s Chorus and Sounds of the Season (previously known as Ouachita Sounds), will perform throughout A Festival of Christmas. Additionally, children from the Arkadelphia DancePraize studio will perform “The Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker.

A few songs the audience can expect to hear this year include “O Holy Night,” “Mary Did You Know?,” “Grown Up Christmas List,” “The Christmas Waltz” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.”

“A Festival of Christmas has some songs that have become traditions and are requested each year,” Gerber said. “Many of the songs that we will perform are new songs and songs that haven’t been done for several years but are still favorites of many patrons.”

Students and faculty work hard to produce A Festival of Christmas each year, preparing nearly six months in advance.

“We begin the planning of Festival of Christmas in the summer. The students begin working on the music in August, the dancers start preparing in September and then we put it all together on Monday evening, the week of the show,” Gerber said. “It is amazing how it comes together in one week.”

This year’s A Festival of Christmas is Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Ouachita’s Jones Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased in the JPAC Box Office or online at www.obu.edu/boxoffice. The box office is open weekdays from 1-5 p.m. For more information, call the box office at (870) 245-5555 during business hours.

By Brooke Woessner

November 16, 2018