The following translation was done by fellow-choir member, Sim Hughes. Sim was fairly fluent in German and was so helpful to me in personally communicating with the people. He’d written out the gospel in German for me and helped me with phrases. I still keep that tattered piece of paper with me to practice in case I get to go this year. Here’s also a larger photo you can click on and zoom, if you’d like to take a stab at it yourself!

Christmas in the American Style

Calvary Choir from North Carolina performed, as a guest, in the Advent Concert at St. Anne’s Church.

Modern yet contemplative, was the appearance of the choir from America at St. Wendel St. Anne Church. They brought a piece of an American Christmas to the house of God.

St. Wendel.

A visitor at St. Anne’s Church experienced a special type of Advent Concert. The Calvary Choir Christmas singers, 29 in all, sang traditional and modern Christmas carols, which they usually sing in their own church. They gave their best.

“In the US one has a very different way of celebrating Christmas,” said pastor and concert organizer, Michael Landoll, of the event. “Now with you, the choir would like to enrich our German Christmas.”

Colorful outfits

The principal difference, which was spoken of, struck one right away as the singers entered the church. Usually choirs perform their Christmas concerts in solemn black clothes with one or the other colorful accent, whereas with the Calvary Choir, all were colorfully and cheerfully dressed. Each member wore another eye-catching color and set the stage, as if magically; so before the first note a bit American Christmas spirit was present in the Church of St. Anne. The musical opening of the concert did not detract from this atmosphere. With beaming faces the musicians sounded under the direction of their conductor, Tim Hathaway, a little Christmas medley of “Hark the herald angels sing” and “Joy to the world”. Equally joyful was “Go, tell it on the mountain” and the African Christmas song “Sing Noel”. The choir also varied the style as the singers included reflective music as well. These included “Praise the Lord” and also “How deep the father’s love for us”. Such variation required a steady change in assignments for some of the singers. For example, at times the entire choir sang together, at other times it supported a soloist’s performance and occasionally a small group performed in the foreground. The song “Hail favored one”, began as a duet and dialogue between Mary, the Archangel Gabriel, and ended as a trio with Joseph as a third voice.

Choir members added a meaningful touch to the concert by relating a song to events in their personal lives. So singer, Brian, told the audience about his search for God, which came to a critical point with the birth of his two daughters and how the song “When I think about the Lord” reminds him about it every time: I realized that if I were to honestly answer my children’s questions about God, than I had to find my faith.

St. Anne Church was for the 29 singers’ just one stop on their tour of Saarland and West Palatinate. A total of six churches and eight nursing homes gave the Calvary Choir its best Christmas repertoire experience before they, the Choir, headed back to North Carolina, where the travelers to Germany will again complete the rest of the 150 voice chorus.