Holiday Celebrations

Singing carols, sipping hot chocolate and decorating Christmas trees are among an array of holiday activities taking place at Willamette University Dec. 2 to 8.

The celebrations include:

John Doan Victorian Christmas Concert, Dec. 2

Celebrating its 25^th season at Willamette, “A Victorian Christmas with John Doan,” promises an evening of old fashioned holiday fun Dec. 2.

The event begins at 8 p.m. in Hudson Hall within the Rogers Music Center. It features a live version of Doan’s Emmy-nominated Public Broadcasting television special, which reenacts how Christmas may have been celebrated a century ago.

The show explores how the Victorians invented Christmas traditions, complete with the harp guitar, classical banjo, ukelin and other authentic instruments. The thoughtful, and often zany, performance includes audience sing-alongs and whistle alongs, an Edison phonograph and a multi-media presentation of rare archival photos showing people making their own music.

Star Trees Lighting and Holiday Concert, Dec. 3

The 15^th annual Star Trees Lighting and Holiday Concert will begin with a holiday dinner and end with a free concert Dec. 3.

Dinner will be served from 4 to 7 p.m. in Goudy Commons. The menu features such mouth-watering entrees as Northwest alder-smoked roasted turkey with an Oregon ground cherry and cranberry sauce, seared Painted Hills beef tips with wild mushrooms and roasted garlic and smoked Gouda macaroni and cheese. Desserts include red velvet cup cakes, Irish cream filled cream puffs, eggnog cheesecake bites and gingerbread cookies.

Christmas in Hudson, Dec. 8

The Willamette University Music Department is exploring the historic roots of the Christmas season through a holiday concert Dec. 8.

The non-commercial presentation takes place in the ornately decorated Hudson Hall within the Rogers Music Center. It begins at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:45 p.m.

The performance has its Willamette roots in the Lessons and Carols service created in Oxford, England. Willamette adds to the flavor by having rhetoric Professor Jeanne Clark give seasonal readings to connect the carols sung by the audience and the special feature selections performed by Male Ensemble Willamette, Voce Femminile and the Chamber Orchestra.