Concordia University, Nebraska to host hymn festival

Concordia University, Nebraska will host “The Light Shines in the Darkness: A Hymn Festival for Epiphany” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, in the Weller Chapel Auditorium on Concordia’s campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The recently refurbished Elaine Mar Hughes Organ by Kuhn will be the featured instrument in the hymn festival and will be played by Dr. Jeffrey Blersch, university organist and professor of music. The University A Capella Choir, directed by Dr. Kurt Von Kampen, will sing along with the St. John Lutheran School 7th and 8th grade singers, directed by Paul Soulek.

“As a department, we wanted to hold a musical event in Weller to celebrate the completion of the renovations to the Kuhn Organ,” said Dr. Jeffrey Blersch. “Since this organ’s main purpose on our campus is to lead singing in worship, we thought that it would be most appropriate to have a hymn festival be that celebratory event.”

The congregation will be invited to sing along to hymns such as, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “O Morning Star How Fair and Bright!” and “Through All Our Life Is Like a Scroll,” to name a few. The festival will feature nine hymns and a time for a collection and blessing, commentated by Rev. Dr. Charles Blanco.