DECATUR, Ill. – Millikin University’s annual winner choral celebration – Vespers – is celebrating its 65th anniversary this holiday season as the family-favorite production returns to Kirkland Fine Arts Center on December 7 and 8, 2024.
This year’s show will include some traditional holiday favorites paired with original music written in honor of the 65th anniversary, and all will be accompanied by the return of a live organ in the halls of Kirkland.
Ben Hawkinson, Millikin Director of Choral Music and Artistic Director of Vespers, has been working with Millikin's four student ensembles – University Choir, Collegiate Chorale, Treble Choir, and TrueBlue Chorale – since mid-October preparing for the Vespers performances.
“Things are going great, and the choirs are singing well. They're all very excited. They seem to really love the music,” Hawkinson said. “We'll come back on Sunday after Thanksgiving break and be in the concert hall until we go up. We will have rehearsals that essentially look like the tech week of a show for a theater production.”
Hawkinson commissioned an original choral piece from renowned choral composer Shawn Kirchner that will debut during this year’s performances.
“This is our 65th anniversary, so we knew we wanted to do something big and exciting to recognize the monumental nature of any project reaching 65 years. A year and a half ago, I contacted Shawn to write something new for us,” Hawkinson said. “Sean is a composer whose music I've appreciated for a long time. He has a very interesting sense of style and harmony. I knew he was the person I wanted to call and was thankful he said yes."
Kirkland Fine Arts Center’s original organ, made by noted organ maker Austin Organs Inc. from Hartford, Conn., will be on full display after several years of relying on an electronic organ for Vespers shows.
“To have an acoustic instrument of that nature and power means that when we get to those big organ moments, hold on to your hats. The sound is going to blow you away,” Hawkinson said. “We always try to find a balance of hitting the nostalgic notes of what Vespers is and what it's been. Along with the new piece that's been composed, we're also hitting cultures we haven't included before. There will be a Latvian piece that incorporates their traditional singing style, which is very different. Paired with those new pieces are also some things that are going to make it feel like the holidays.“
This year, performances take place on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m.
Tickets for Vespers range from $12 to $16 and are on sale now. The Kirkland Fine Arts Center Ticket Office, located at 1215 W Kirkland Drive in Decatur, is open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 4:30 p.m., and at kirklandfinearts.com or 217.424.6318.
About Vespers
Originating in 1959, Vespers is a beloved tradition not only in the Decatur area but around the world. In 1921, Millikin began a much smaller version of Vespers in which faculty put on a concert for students. This eventually transformed into a holiday choral concert developed by Robert D. Hoffland and his wife, Kathryne “Kay” Hoffland. When the Hofflands retired in 1991, Brad Holmes took the helm with his wife, Beth Holmes, directing the production until 2021.
