Millikin’s Annual Christmas Concert, Vespers, will continue for its 66th year.

Vespers, meaning “evening prayer,” is Millikin’s holiday performance that features a variety of music, including beloved carols. Millikin University’s School of Music and Kirkland Fine Arts Center will come together to create an enchanting experience, capturing the spirit of the holidays.

The choral program includes four traditional choirs: University Choir (UChoir), Collegiate Chorale, Treble Choir, and True Blue Chorale (True Blue), totaling over 200 students with various majors. 

Collegiate Chorale and Treble Choir, directed by Professor Mary Brandenstein, and UChoir and True Blue, directed by Dr. Benjamin Hawkinson, are the masterminds behind this hefty show. 

Dr. Hawkinson is the Director of Choral Activities and an assistant professor of music at Millikin, and Brandenstein is Millikin’s recent visiting professor of choir and music education. 

Brandenstein has had a positive transition into her new role. Before coming to Millikin as a visiting professor, Brandenstein was a student at Millikin. 

She went from performing in a Vespers concert herself to being the one conducting it. 

The theme for Vespers this year is “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” chosen by Dr. Hawkinson. The inspiration behind the theme comes from a song arranged by Craig Courtney. 

Dr. Hawkinson planned this theme more than a year in advance and felt like the message of the song resonated with the current state of the world. 

“Dr. Hawkinson started out the first rehearsal and talked about why he chose that as a theme,” Brandenstein said. “He was essentially saying, ‘When I look at my students, I see the future potential of the way that humanity could be, the ways that we could be kinder and more collaborative and compassionate and share in our perspectives.’” 

This week marks tech week for Vespers. This means students rehearsing daily to perfect every detail before the festive weekend. 

The typical Vespers rehearsal schedule starts with the curricular choirs rehearsing separately and then combining for group numbers. Vespers is far more than a Christmas concert—it’s an immersive spectacle blending music, movement, costumes, lighting, and acting. 

Audiences can expect voices filling the theater from the stage, aisles, and balcony, with familiar holiday songs projected for sing-alongs. The performance features dramatic lighting shifts, scenic changes, and the grandeur of Kirkland’s organ alongside an open-pit orchestra.

Drawing nearly 6,500 attendees annually, Vespers showcases the dedication and talent of Millikin’s choirs.

Izzy Kostbade, a junior majoring in music and psychology, has been in choir since her freshman year, having participated in Treble, Collegiate, and, currently, University Choir. 

“My favorite part of Vespers is when we finally get to sing with the orchestra,” Kostbade said. “There aren’t a lot of chances in your lifetime when you get to play with a huge professional orchestra.”

Another highlight for her and for many others is witnessing the community’s response to Vespers. 

“You have people come every year, people that I’ve never seen or never met who come up to you and tell you how much the performance impacted their life and their day,” she said.

To ensure a good performance, students are expected to practice outside of class, taking ownership of their parts and ensuring musical competency. 

“[We] have done a good job of letting the singers be humans too and have joy and laughter,” Brandenstein said. “I do think compassion and kindness can also mean rigor, discipline, and excellence.” 

This is a shift from earlier years when rehearsals were more rigid. Now, the process is infused with themed days, prank nights, laughter, and creative collaboration, blending professionalism with joy and camaraderie. 

“Rehearsals have been so much fun even with such intensity,” Kostbade said.

One of the pieces included in the program is a Venezuelan Christmas song that is rhythmic, exciting, and soloistic. Dr. Hawkinson is friends with the person who arranged the song. 

The person who arranged the song is Spanish-speaking, and his passion and purpose is to take various pieces in Spanish from different traditions and arrange them for choirs. 

The choirs got to Zoom with him and learn about the context and history of the pieces. 

Treble Choir is performing a piece called “Hallelujah,” which is a sacred harp tune that is a full-bodied, full-throated vocal production that differs from the soft scores they usually take on. Freshman music education major Abby Salgado is performing as a singer and featuring in a performance as a clarinetist. 

“I have never been involved in a holiday celebration this substantial, especially because we get to perform with a professional pit,” Salgado said. “I am so excited to share it with the audience, as our performances are quickly approaching.”

Vespers closes with the traditional candlelight ceremony, symbolizing peace and unity. This year, junior music major Kallie Weller leads the candles. 

“My favorite thing about choir is spending time making music together,” Weller said. “After Vespers, we don’t get to for a while, and I really miss that.” 

Weller reflects the deeper theme of Vespers: that peace and connection begin with the spaces we create together.

The theme “Let There Be Peace on Earth” finds its fullest meaning in the verse, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” 

“I think [the line is] urging us, young people, students, and myself, to look within and recognize [that] I have a lot of sway. Even if I don’t have all of the dollars and all of the time to participate in certain activist endeavors, I can still cultivate something that can make the space that I exist in better,” Brandenstein said.

The performances are this weekend, Saturday, December 6, at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM, and Sunday, December 7, at 2:00 PM. 

Tickets are available for purchase at Millikin University | Ticketing – Ticket Office Home. Or you can call the Kirkland Fine Arts Center Box Office or getting your tickets in person at the box office. 

For Millikin students: admission is free on Saturday at 7:30 PM only using your Millikin ID.