Virtual ‘Holidays at Hendricks’ presents timeless carols sung by SU students

The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

In previous years, Hendricks Chapel has welcomed community members to gather and celebrate the holiday season through the “Holidays at Hendricks” event. This year, over 1,000 people celebrated virtually by watching the event’s first online-only broadcast Sunday evening.

The prerecorded concert on YouTube featured members of the Setnor School of Music and included performances from the Hendricks Chapel Choir, the Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra, Syracuse University Singers, Crouse Chorale and Setnor Sonority.

In the minutes leading up to the event, the live chat was filled with comments wishing viewers a happy holiday season. Since the event was prerecorded, the performers were able to interact with the audience in real-time through the live chat.

Wearing blue robes and masks, the Hendricks Chapel Choir started the concert with a rendition of the Christmas carol “Angels We Have Heard on High.” The camera panned from the director to the students, who were socially distanced throughout the chapel.

Chancellor Kent Syverud and his wife, Ruth Chen, a professor of practice in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, greeted the audience. Syverud noted the significance of Hendricks Chapel’s holiday tradition and thanked those who made the event possible.

“‘Holidays at Hendricks’ has become a hallmark of our holiday season, and it draws our university community together,” he said.

While standing in front of a Christmas tree decorated with SU ornaments, José “Peppie” Calvar, the artistic director of “Holidays at Hendricks,” discussed the resilience of the university’s student ensembles and the work they put into creating the virtual concert.

Due to the spike in coronavirus cases on campus, some performances weren’t recorded in time for the event. But as a precautionary measure, the rehearsals of the ensembles were recorded throughout the semester, and some were used in Sunday’s concert, Calvar said.

Syracuse University Singers then performed “You Do Not Walk Alone” by Elaine Hagenberg.

The audio from the performance was from a rehearsal in October. The visuals, captured by Hannah Hein, the web content manager in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, showed what a socially distanced rehearsal looked like during the fall semester.

Students performed “You Do Not Walk Alone” by Elaine Hagenberg in front of Hendricks Chapel. Screenshot

Calvar highlighted specific lyrics from the song, such as “May you always remember, when the shadows fall, you do not walk alone.”

“We hope you keep this message alive during this holiday season.” he told the audience.

University Organist Anne Laver performed two pieces during the night. Her first performance, “Antioch,” featured fragments of the melody “Oh Joy to the World.”

Her next piece was “Oh Sing Unto the Lord.” The choir members that accompanied Laver were all dressed in white. The piece drew particular praise from the audience, as the chat flooded with compliments for the performers.

Another piece was the Combined Vocal Jazz Ensembles’ prerecorded performance of singer Michael Smith’s “All is Well.” Nick Godzak, an instructor of applied music and performance, directed. In contrast to the previous performances, this section of the concert was streamed in black and white.

The camera moved through the ensemble before the video cut to photographs of health care workers and veterans, as well as people thanking frontline workers for their work throughout the pandemic.

The Crouse Chorale followed with “Still I Rise,” a piece inspired by poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. The Chorale rehearsed in the Carrier Dome this fall, and Director Wendy Moy said the visuals included pictures of where “our singers felt fierce, strong, or rose above life circumstances.”

Brian Konkol, dean of Hendricks Chapel, asked the audience to light a candle from home during the performance of “Silent Night.” Screenshot

Toward the end of the concert, each member of the chorus held a candle as they sang “Silent Night” inside the chapel. Candles lined the aisle during the performance, and projected snowflakes shined on the walls.

Audience members in Hendricks Chapel usually light candles in the spirit of bringing unity and joy to the Orange community. Hendricks Chapel Dean Brian Konkol asked the audience to light a candle from home during the song to continue the tradition.

“This holiday season and beyond, no matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter how you are, no matter what you have done, no matter what you have left undone, the light will shine,” he said.