Here We Come A-Caroling

Dickinsonians sing for Project S.H.A.R.E. suppers

December 2, 2008

The Collegium performed at the Church of Sant’Anna in Camprena during its tour of Italy in 2007.

The Dickinson Collegium, the select choral ensemble of students and community members led by Blake Wilson, associate professor of music, will hold its annual holiday concert on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m.

The program weaves together Christmas motets by Renaissance masters, Josquin Desprez' Missa Pange Lingua and traditional carols arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw. "We will have new and old pieces," said Wilson. "I always look for what's seasonal and beautiful; then I look at the thematic elements."

The Saturday concert is in Memorial Hall, which will be decorated for the occasion and historically draws standing-room-only audiences. The Sunday-afternoon concert is at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church at 201 W. Louther Street, which can accommodate a larger crowd.

"We have a history of doing concerts at St. Paul's, and the department ensembles have been doing more to open up our concerts to a wider audience," said Wilson.

A free-will offering at both events will benefit Project S.H.A.R.E., a nonprofit organization that provides food, clothing, nutrition education and community resources to people in need within the Greater Carlisle area.

The collegium has something extra to celebrate this season. A CD of its summer 2007 tour is available for purchase in the college bookstore and at both concerts. The ensemble performed in monasteries and churches throughout Italy—Siena, Camprena, Florence, Bologna, Modena and Revere—and the disc features sacred and secular selections from the six concerts.