Musicians perform during Vespers 2023. (KU School of Music)
500 singers will perform at the 100th anniversary event Dec. 8
A long held and beloved Lawrence tradition reaches an important milestone this December, with the KU Vespers commemorating 100 years.
“A Century of Vespers—100th Anniversary Celebration” is presented by the University of Kansas School of Music and involves more than 250 vocalists from the choral department, the KU symphony orchestra, KU trumpet ensemble and Lawrence Children’s Choir. And for this special event, they are joined by a 100th anniversary Alumni Choir. All in all, around 500 people will perform at the Lied Center of Kansas Dec. 8.
Born and raised in Lawrence, and an alumnus of KU herself, Laura McCorkill, events coordinator for the School of Music, is organizing the Alumni Choir. The KU Vespers has been a part of McCorkill’s life for more than 50 years.
“Oh, it was magical,” she remembers. “When the lights were dimmed and they would shine spotlights with gels of snowflakes up on the ceiling” — Hoch Auditorium, which also served as a basketball arena, had a massive domed ceiling — “and they would have Christmas trees all across the stage.”
“When I was really young, the singers came down the aisle … singing “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful”… and they held candles, lit candles,” said McCorkill. “By the time I was singing, our candles were battery operated. Not quite as special, but still got the idea across.”
She participated as a performer for five years while a student at KU, has attended countless performances as an audience member, and was also invited to perform with the stage choir in recent years.
Each year, thousands attend the Vespers concerts. The tradition of the KU School of Music (then the School of Fine Arts) seasonal Vespers performances was started by Dean Donald Swarthout in 1923, with the Christmas-specific performance starting in 1925. But the tradition of University of Kansas Vespers performances is actually even older, dating back to the 1800s, according to a 1941 Lawrence Democrat article.
With its rich history, it’s no surprise that the event is an integral part of the Lawrence community’s holiday offerings. The School of Music was even able to present a live-streamed Vespers performance to a virtual audience during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
The concert program has changed greatly through the years. For the first few decades, it was wholly Christmas themed. Now, says McCorkill, “it’s much more ecumenical and open than it is any one holiday oriented,” encompassing seasonal and holiday traditions from many different corners of the world. Previous performances have also included organ, carillon and brass ensemble.
For this concert, two works will receive their world premieres. The School of Music commissioned “Holiday Vespers Overture” by KU professor emeritus James Barnes, who was on faculty from 1977 to 2015 and who will be on hand to conduct the orchestra for this piece, and “I Only Want to Say (Blessings for the New Year)” by Forrest Pierce, current KU professor, for choir and four-hand piano.
The choir is also singing beloved traditional songs, like Martin Shaw’s “Fanfare for Christmas Day,” written in 1922.
“It’s nice and flashy and it will get everybody’s attention,” said McCorkill. “It was a favorite of the eras gone by, and we’re bringing it back.”
Traditionally, this piece was sung in the lobby of Hoch Auditorium, right before the choir processed in carrying those burning candles. The lobby was all marble (which didn’t burn with the rest of the building from a 1991 lightning strike), so the sound resonated off the stone and into the auditorium. Together with the auditorium’s wood floors and wooden chairs, said McCorkill, it was a lively, loud and memorable experience.
For those singing in the Alumni Choir, there will be a weekend of activities, including tours of the new Murphy Hall wing and Bales Organ Recital Hall, rehearsals with the stage choir and a dinner between performances.
There are many alumni living in the area or the Midwest region — particularly in Kansas and Missouri — but, at the time of this writing, organizers have also had commitments from singers living in New York City, Massachusetts and Virginia.
During the performance, in the Lied Center lobby, there will be display cases with information about 100 years of Vespers and historical artifacts. These are being coordinated by Susan Ralston, wife of Dr. James Ralston, who served as choral professor at KU from 1962 to 1994. Ralston also earned his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctoral degree from KU. He passed away in 2012. Nevertheless, three generations of Ralstons will perform in this year’s Vespers: his wife and two daughters in the Alumni Choir and one granddaughter in the Lawrence Children’s Choir. And if that’s not enough music, on Dec. 11, enjoy KU Jazz Vespers, also at the Lied Center. Though not as storied, it’s also part of this grand KU Vespers tradition.
“A Century of Vespers” will be held Dec. 8 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center of Kansas. The evening Vespers performance and KU Jazz Vespers will be livestreamed. For tickets and more information visit music.ku.edu or www.lied.ku.edu.
