News Archives - 1999

Augsburg College will present its 20th annual festival worship services, Advent Vespers, on Friday, December 3 at 6 and 9 p.m., and Saturday, December 4 at 5 and 8 p.m. All four services will be at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, located at 333 South Twelfth Street.

Advent Vespers celebrates the beginning of the Christmas season with traditional and contemporary hymns, anthems, and carols arranged for choral groups, soloists, and orchestra. Participants include the Augsburg Choir, the Masterworks Chorale, the Riverside Singers of Augsburg, the Brass Choir, and the Vespers Orchestra. Conductors include Peter Hendrickson, Nancy Grundahl, and Paul Ousley.

The program will include seasonal readings, liturgical processionals, and the traditional singing of "Silent Night" in the candlelit sanctuary of this magnificent church. Highlighting the service, which includes both solemn and joyous music, will be many beautiful carols from around the world-from Sweden, Ukraine, Brazil, Russia, and Minnesota. One of the Midwest's largest celebrations, over 10,000 people participate in Advent Vespers each year. Advent Vespers services will also be broadcast on Monday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. on WCAL radio at 89.3 FM.

Admission to Advent Vespers is by seating envelopes, which must be ordered in advance from the Augsburg College Music Department. Order forms for seating envelopes may be requested by calling (612) 330-1265 or e-mailing music@augsburg.edu.

For more information on Advent Vespers, call the Augsburg Music Department at (612) 330-1265 or e-mail music@augsburg.edu. For information on coming concerts and arts events at Augsburg College, call (612) 330-1448.

Augsburg College is a private liberal arts college, founded in 1869, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The campus is located in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, which is one of the country's acknowledged cultural centers. Students at Augsburg enjoy the unique benefits of continuous access to the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, the Walker Art Center, and the Guthrie Theater. The College's mission is to nurture future leaders in service to the world by providing quality educational opportunities that are based in the liberal arts and shaped by the faith and values of the Christian tradition. Augsburg's nearly 3,000 students come from diverse religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.