To ring in the Christmas spirt despite COVID-19, A Cappella and UChorale will record songs releasing in early December.

Christmas Vespers is a joint performance of the orchestra and choir groups. Due to Christmas Vespers not being put on this year, the choir department has found the solution of recording for the ACU community. These recordings do not have a set release date but will be shared to the ACU community after Thanksgiving and early December.

UChorale will record two songs and A Cappella will record three songs. UChorale will sing Jubilate Deo and Ani Ma’amin. A Cappella will sing Mary Had a Baby and In the Bleak Midwinter and Let the People Praise Thee, O God. 

“We sing it multiple times to get the best performances now,” Jessica Diaz, a vocal music education major and choir president and student director of A Cappella from Abilene, said. “However it does also give us the chance to do our best ability and help with recruiting.”

UChorale and A Cappella will both be filmed in different locations. UChorale will be filmed where Christmas Vespers takes place, First Baptist Church Abilene. A Cappella will be filmed at Church of Heavenly Rest. Both recordings will be in place of Christmas Vespers.

In usual years, Christmas Vespers would take place with Dr. Steven Ward and the orchestra on top of performances from the A Cappella and UChorale group. Dr. Ward would lead performances with the choir groups and the orcestra. Due to COVID restrictions, this is not possible.

“Christmas Vespers was our thing to connect with all the music groups on campus,” Lanisha Morris, a vocal music education major and student director of A Cappella from Killeen said. “The recordings can reach out for people online than in person and it helps us share our choir groups around the country.”