Three Bluffton University choirs will headline "A Festival of Lessons and Carols," the university's annual Christmas choral concert, at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, in Yoder Recital Hall.

The program is designed around a historical structure of Scripture readings and Christmas carols. The readings, taken from prophetic writings about the Messiah's coming and from the Christmas story, are interspersed with various Christmas pieces.

Tickets, $7.50 for adults and $5.50 for senior citizens (65 and over) and non-Bluffton students, are available online at http://tickets.bluffton.edu or by contacting the box office at 419-358-3239 or [email protected]. Admission is free for Bluffton students.

Accent!

Accent!, a men's chorus conducted by Dr. Mark Suderman, professor of music, will perform four numbers. Among them are "Sweet Little Jesus Boy," with a guitar solo by Ian Hayes, a Bluffton sophomore from Lima, Ohio, and "Still, Still, Still," an Austrian carol featuring vocal soloist Robert Glenn, a junior from Lima.

Camerata Singers

Suderman also conducts Camerata Singers, a select chamber choir that will sing four contrasting pieces. They include an unaccompanied early American carol by William Billings and "Surge Inluminare," whose text is a paraphrase of Isaiah 60, "Arise, shine, for your light has come ...".

Bel Canto

The women's chorus Bel Canto will present four numbers conducted by Dr. Jon Peterson, an assistant professor of music. Bel Canto soloists will be Stephanie Patterson, a senior from Findlay, Ohio; junior Kim Rupert, senior Kristin Beckman and sophomore Meghan Sager, all from Ottawa, Ohio; first-year students MaryRose Shotwell, from Delta, Ohio, and Ashley Musgrave, from Ada, Ohio; and Megan Patton, a sophomore from Waynesfield, Ohio.

Conducted by Suderman, the three choirs will combine to close the program with "This Christmastide (Jessye's Carol)" by Donald Fraser.

Bluffton Brass Society

The five-member Bluffton Brass Society, coached by Dr. Jeffrey Boehm, professor of music, will also perform one number, "Gesu Bambino," while the Saxophone Quartet will provide pre-concert music in the Yoder lobby. The quartet's coach is Dr. Adam Schattschneider, also a professor of music.