Christmas in the high country just isn’t complete until you’ve experienced Lees-McRae’s Candlelight Christmas Concert.
Performing arts students and faculty presented the concert of variety that featured music, dance and theater on Saturday, Dec. 2 and Sunday, Dec. 3, spreading holiday cheer throughout the crowd that nearly filled Hayes Auditorium.
More than 60 students put on the 18 number program directed by Jim Taylor. The show included the Hallelujah Chorus, performed with members of the audience, and Silent Night, with a candlelight procession performed by the full company, both of which are annual traditions.
If the Candlelight Christmas Concert didn’t put you in the Christmas spirit, then nothing will. From The Twelve Days of Christmas to The Twelve Pains of Christmas, the show captured the mood of the holiday season. Even Santa Clause made his annual visit to Lees-McRae during the show.
The Division of Performing Arts gave a special thanks to Dr. Carter Wiseman ’66 for his generosity in supplying Christmas trees for the program and the rest of Lees-McRae’s campus. Up next for Performing Arts is Noises Off, a comedy presented in Hayes Auditorium Feb. 21-25.
Prior to the concert on Saturday evening, the Advancement Office hosted the annual High Country Christmas Reception in Evans Auditorium. Local alumni, board members and major donors of the college were invited
for food, fellowship and fun before attending the show. President Bushman gave an update on the good news around the college and thanked those in attendance for their continued support for Lees-McRae.
“The High Country Christmas Reception is a good time for friends old and new to get together before the holidays, and the Candlelight Christmas Concert always puts us in the Christmas spirit,” said Frankie Needham, Director of Prospect Research for the college. “I feel sure that a good time was had by all who attended.”