The St. Olaf Christmas Festival
December 10th, 2005,On Sunday, December 4, we made our way through the bitter cold to attend our first St. Olaf Christmas Festival, the event that more or less puts St. Olaf College on the national map. Televised annually on PBS and featuring the St. Olaf Orchestra and various college choirs, the two-hour festival is performed once each day for four consecutive days.
Before the festival began, a friend was quick to correct anyone who called the festival a “concert.” The latter word didn’t fit this religious event, in his mind. After attending the festival, I saw what he meant. This is a thoroughly religious event, a worship experience led by Lutheran clergy and incorporating Bible readings. St. Olaf is still strongly affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (the principal Lutheran denomination), and that affiliation is apparent in the festival. The program for the festival says that it is a “worship experience” and “an outgrowth of Christian conviction and an expression of the rich musical heritage at St. Olaf.” It also instructs attendees to hold their applause until the end, in keeping with a worship rather than an entertainment experience.
This 94th annual festival (it began in 1912) featured an impressive array of music from the 16th to the 20th centuries, from traditional Christmas carols to Ralph Vaughn Williams’ “Ring Out, Ye Crystal Spheres.” As interpreted by artistic director Anton Armstrong and others, the music and singing were superb. Particularly moving was a choral piece called “Gaudete,” composed by Steven Sametz and set to Medieval lyrics.
St. Olaf was founded in Northfield, Minnesota, by Norwegian Lutherans, so the Christmas festival is also something of a celebration of ethnic heritage. I wore my Norwegian sweater, one of dozens in the crowd who did so. Unfortunately, I missed the Scandinavian buffet preceding the performance, which featured pickled herring (a favorite of my grandfather), lefse, lutefisk (which I have yet to try), fruit soup, and more.
For many, including St. Olaf parents and alumni, this is a favorite Christmas tradition. Clearly, it touches many lives, and each performance is packed. Tickets to the festival are difficult to get, and we were able to do so only because my wife teaches at the college. However, you can experience the festival on the radio Friday, Dec. 23, 8 p.m. at 99.5 KSJN, Minnesota Public Radio’s classical station (also available at mpr.org). The festival will be broadcast on national radio December 14.
PBS will also broadcast a different event, “A St. Olaf Christmas in Norway,” on December 21, 24 and 25. This one-hour program was filmed in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim during the St. Olaf Choir’s 2005 tour of Norway, which commemorated Norway’s centennial. The program will also be distributed internationally by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Check out PBS’s web page for “A St. Olaf Christmas in Norway” and the festival’s broadcast page for more information.