The Asbury University Music and English Departments welcome the public to a free Christmas concert on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Hughes Auditorium. The event will feature seasonal music blended with readings of poetry and prose inspired by Advent and Christmas.
“Songs of the Season is a wonderful gift to the community,” said Asbury University President Dr. Kevin Brown. “It fosters an atmosphere that is both worshipful and sacred — attributes that characterize the best of the Advent season and our hope and celebration of Jesus Christ as Emmanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23).”
Associate Professor of Music Dr. Nathan Miller ’05 serves as the orchestra director and coordinator of the event.
“This event is a distinct Asbury experience, engaging our minds and hearts in contemplation, celebration, and worship,” Miller said. “This year’s theme is ‘He Will Come’ and will be presented in three parts: He Will Come, Christ is Born, and We Remember. The music and the readings will walk through the Advent season as we reflect on our need for a savior, the humble circumstances of Christ’s birth into a dark world longing for light, and the joy and challenge we find in carrying his light as we proclaim His kingdom.”
The concert will feature a violin solo from Prof. Saelim Henderson (instructor of violin and viola) and vocal solos from students (Donovan Chung ’26, Gentry Osbourne ’27, Mikah Saub ’27, Lindsey Melhorn ’26), and Prof. Isaac Brooks (lecturer for choral studies).
“I particularly enjoy the collaboration with the English and Music Departments,” Miller said. “In my mind, this event embodies what is best about Asbury: It is an interdisciplinary liberal arts event created by students and faculty together, in a way that engages the heart and mind in reflection and worship of the Messiah.”
Professor of English Dr. Devin Brown shares about his department’s participation.
“For young and old, Christmas is a time of wonder and enchantment,” Brown said. “Through Songs of the Season, we hope to kindle those feelings in the hearts of everyone who attends. And during a time of year when the nights are getting longer, we hope to share the light and hope that Christ has given us.”
The Asbury University Music Department offers majors in Music (with emphases in composition and arranging, instrumental performance, pre-music therapy, vocal performance, and church music leadership) and Music Education (with emphases in general music education, instrumental music education, vocal/choral education, and combined instrumental/vocal education) with a minor in Music. Asbury University Music alumni play for some of the world’s top orchestras, receive Grammy nominations, and accept fellowships into graduate schools around the U.S.
The Asbury University English Department offers majors in English, Creative Writing, and English Education (Grades 8-12), as well as a minor in Creative Writing.