People flocking to listen to the magic of the Concordia Christmas Concert will hear new spins on two holiday classics, thanks to 2023 Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ grads and composers Jared Campbell and Carmen Geiger-Schutz.
Both were commissioned to create special arrangements for the upcoming performance, with Campbell reworking Advent hymn “Rejoice, Rejoice Believers” as a processional and Geiger-Schutz innovating the Christmas standard “Joy to the World” as a recessional.
The two pieces bring all three Concordia choirs and The Concordia Orchestra together with the concert audience singing, providing all participants the opportunity to be part of a powerful united sound, purpose and experience.
“As a former student of Concordia, I can’t express how much it means to have my music be on that stage,” said Geiger-Schutz, originally of Fountain City, Wisconsin. “Beyond getting to share the musical stage, so to speak, with amazing people, I get to share a piece of myself with the legacy of this amazing concert. I get to be part of sharing a message that brings people together to sing and be merry, and oftentimes be moved to tears at the sheer magnitude of it all.”
An enthusiast of “messing around” with music since she was a child, Geiger-Schutz’s drive to take composing more seriously came later, inspired by a significant other. After the breakup, she found she couldn’t stop writing music, and decided she wanted to spend her whole life doing that.
“I don’t think a younger me would ever dream of making it as far as I have,” she said.
Composition is Geiger-Schutz’s full-time job, and when she isn’t writing music, she writes creative fiction, creates visual art and writes poetry.
“I love what I do, and I never want to stop being a creative force,” she said.
Campbell, originally of Paynesville, is currently serving as an accompanist for the choir at , but intends to attend medical school in the future. Music classes provided him with an escape from some of his other coursework, and music theory became his favorite.
He already had a strong background in music, having played piano since kindergarten and later adding trombone to his repertoire for high school band. That time in the brass section will be clearly audible in his new setting of “Rejoice, Rejoice Believers,” as Campbell specifically wrote a very full brass part, knowing in advance the strength of this year’s brass section in The Concordia Orchestra.
His arrival as a composer for the Christmas Concert came through a different route, after serving as head musician for chapel services via the Rev. Dave Adams, campus pastor. Because he knew so many of his fellow students, Campbell often got a few musicians together to play for a service, and then arranged pieces to suit whatever configuration of players he had.
During his last chapel service, he was asked if he’d like to create something for the Christmas Concert.
“That would’ve been unimaginable to me a couple years ago,” Campbell said. “It was amazing.”
He said yes, and was asked to create a fresh arrangement of “Rejoice, Rejoice Believers.”
While Campbell has a particular affection for hymns, this one didn’t click with him right away, but eventually, he found a motif he could build on, and carried manipulations of that theme throughout the piece, he said.
Geiger-Schutz began her “Joy to the World” with a fantasy-esque opening, with pieces of “Joy to the World” interwoven with “O Come All Ye Faithful” and other hymns. Listeners and participants should watch for an inspiring key change after the third verse.
I love what I do, and I never want to stop being a creative force.
“I wrote my ideas for the piece in the form of a solo piano work, so that I always had a ‘minimum viable product’ to fall back on when decision-making got too difficult,” she said. “From there, it was basically writing bigger and bigger versions until I had one for a full orchestra.”
Like Campbell, her involvement in the 2023 Christmas Concert came during a kind of last moment, but in her case, it was on graduation day.
“I was walking through Hvidsten with my cap and gown on taking one last look at everything, and when I was on my way out, Dr. Michael Culloton (director of choral activities at Concordia) pulled me aside,” Geiger-Schutz recalled.
He wanted to meet with her about writing something for the Christmas Concert, and she agreed.
Being a part of the concert means a lot to Campbell, too.
“It reminds me of my friends when I was here, and the camaraderie of preparing for the Christmas Concert,” he said.
Campbell expressed gratitude for his two years in Concordia's choirs and The Concordia Orchestra, as well as his five years in The Concordia Band. Five years of piano studies incorporating elements of composition and analysis with Dr. Grigor Khachatryan, associate professor of piano, aided Campbell in his compositional process.
Both composers are open to additional commissions. Anyone interested in Geiger-Schutz’s work can search for her name on jwpepper.com or contact her at carmengeigerschutz@gmail.com, and Campbell can be reached at jjcampbell1999@gmail.com.
That would’ve been unimaginable to me a couple years ago. It was amazing.
The Concordia Christmas Concerts, which feature the college’s choirs and orchestra, are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, in Memorial Auditorium. Tickets cost $25 plus handling fees, and are available at ConcordiaChristmas.com or by calling 888.477.027. Concerts are also scheduled at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, with tickets at $28 to $38 each.
There is also a virtual option available Dec. 21-Jan. 2. A one-hour version of the Orchestra Hall performances will be available for download for on-demand viewing. Registration details can be found at ConcordiaChristmas.com.