MPR story looks at how Christmas Festival leaves lasting impression
“It’s a celebration, and just a chance to step back from our normal busy lives and share in those moments of music-making and beauty and connection,” Sarah Stevens ’15 tells Classical Minnesota Public Radio about the St. Olaf Christmas Festival.
One of the oldest musical celebrations of Christmas in the United States, the St. Olaf Christmas Festival features more than 500 student musicians who are members of five choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra.
It’s an event that draws thousands of people to campus each year, notes the MPR story, many of whom have been attending for years.
And yet, St. Olaf Choir alumna Martha Kunau ’90 tells MPR, the experience of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival reaches far beyond those who are alumni of the college.
“It’s a place where thousands of people have gathered to experience something,” Kunau says. “And I think you leave changed whether or not you’ve signed off on all the theological dogma. I think it’s bigger than that. I think the message and the reach is much more universal.”