USF to capture the magic of the holidays with programs for all ages
The community is invited to celebrate the magic of the holidays at the University of St. Francis. Activities for all ages are planned, including the always-popular Schola Cantorum Christmas concert and the non-stop holiday radio programming, Spirit of Christmas, on WCSF, 88.7 FM.
Families with children will enjoy The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t a special behind-the-scenes peek at the hustle and bustle and near disasters of the Christmas season. Catch these close-call Christmas catastrophes written by children and brought to life by Child’s Play Touring Theatre at 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 2. Stories include "Dinky the Dancing Reindeer," "How Santa Got Well" and "Santa and the Witch."
Child’s
Play Touring Theatre is a professional, non-profit
theater that for 22 years has been exclusively
dedicated to performing stories and poems written
by young poets, essayists and short story writer,
from kindergartners to eighth graders. The company
has earned special commendations from the Illinois
alliance for Arts Education, the Western States
Arts Federation, the Southern Arts Federation
and the MidAmerica Arts Alliance. Child’s
Play was the 1998 recipient of the Kellogg Foundation
Award. The company was chosen twice to perform
at the International Children’s Theatre Showcase,
and was the only American children’s theatre
invited to perform at the First New York International
Arts festival.
Admission is free for The Christmas That Almost
Wasn’t, but reservations are recommended.
For reservations, call (815) 740-3365. The play
will be in the university’s Moser Performing
Arts Center auditorium.
Adults
and students can learn about the true meaning
of celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Ramadan,
Our Lady the Guadalupe Feast Day and other holidays
at "Holy Days or Hallmark Days, on Wednesday,
Dec. 4. Community members from diverse religious
backgrounds will discuss the commercialization
of the holidays. Panelists include Nata Martinez,
religious education director for Our Lady of Mt.
Carmel Church; Fanya Buford, director of youth
ministry for Holy Spirit Catholic Community Church;
Tabassum Haleem, executive director for the Organization
of Islamic Speakers-Midwest; and Shirley Fish,
member of the Joliet Jewish Congregation.
The public is invited to this panel discussion at noon in the President’s Room, Tower Hall. For information, call (815) 740-3365. Participants may bring their lunch.
In the Bleak Midwinter: Carols for Christmas, the annual Schola Cantorum student choir concert that has become a community holiday tradition, performed to sell-out crowds, will be 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 in the Moser Performing Arts Center auditorium. This season’s concert will feature traditional carols and works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Michael Praetorius, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Gustav Holst and John Rutter. Additionally, an original piece by USF students Richard Susner and Joseph Van Der Bosch, "Wrap Him in Harmony," will be premiered at the concert. The university of St. Francis Schola Cantorum and Chamber Singers are under the direction of Patrick Brannon, associate professor of music.
The 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 concert is a "sneak preview" and admission is free; admission to the Friday concert is $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Make ticket reservations by calling (815) 740-3404.
For the 10th year, one of the area’s finest holiday traditions, the Spirit of Christmas—holiday music, commercial-free, 24 hours a day from Nov. 29 through Jan. 1—will be presented by WCSF 88.7 FM, the student-run radio station at USF. More than 200,000 listeners in the south suburban area tune into the Spirit of Christmas each year.
Classics, current hits and children’s songs will be featured as well as a variety of special programming, including local choirs and bands. Listeners may call in requests at selected times. For more information, call the station at (815) 740-3214.
The University of St. Francis at 500 Wilcox St. in Joliet, serves more than 4,300 students nationwide. The university offers more than 60 areas of undergraduate study and 10 graduate programs.