KU School of Music celebrates the season with 96th Annual Holiday Vespers


LAWRENCE – The KU School of Music along with the Lied Center of Kansas, Reach Out Kansas, Inc. And the Law Offices of Smithyman & Zakoura presents the 96th Annual KU Holiday Vespers Concert.  

No stranger to adapting to challenging times, KU Vespers has transitioned through its inception with choir robes and wax candles to the war years when satin for new stoles was not available and plain cotton had to suffice, to battery operated candles for safety, and from Hoch Auditorium to the Lied Center of Kansas.  

Now, we adapt again to present this annual tradition to a virtual audience. The 96th KU Vespers will feature the KU Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Dan Gailey, playing the Duke Ellington “Nutcracker Suite”. This performance, recorded prior to students leaving campus, will be streaming from the Lied Center of Kansas on Sunday, December 13, 2020, at 6 PM. 

In addition to the livestream premier of the 96th Annual Vespers concert, the KU School of Music, the Lied Center of Kansas, Reach Out Kansas, and Smithyman & Zakoura will rebroadcast the 92nd, 93rd, and 94th Annual Holiday Vespers Concerts.  

All Vespers concerts will be free to watch on Vimeo or on the Lied Center of Kansas Facebook page.  

92nd Annual Vespers Concert (2016) 
Fri., Dec. 4, 2020, 6 PM  

The livestream rebroadcast of the 92nd Annual Holiday Vespers features the KU Symphony Orchestra & Choirs under the direction of Paul Tucker, Mariana Farah, and Matthew Smith. Originally performed on December 4, 2016, this longstanding KU tradition features seasonal favorites such as It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, What Sweeter Music, and a Concert Suite from Polar Express along with the annual sing-along. 

93rd Annual Vespers Concert (2017) 
Sun., Dec. 6, 2020, 6 PM  

The livestream rebroadcast of the 93rd Annual Holiday Vespers features the KU Symphony Orchestra & Choirs under the direction of Paul Tucker, Mariana Farah, and Raffaele Cipriano. Originally performed on December 3, 2017, this longstanding KU tradition features seasonal favorites such as selections from The Nutcracker Suite, Ose Shalom, and The Night Before Christmas featuring Neeli Bendapudi as narrator along with the annual sing-along. 

96th Annual Vespers Concert (2020) 
Sun., Dec. 13, 2020, 6 PM 

94th Annual Vespers Concert (2018)  
Sun., Dec. 20, 2020, 6 PM 

The livestream rebroadcast of the 94th Annual Holiday Vespers features the KU Symphony Orchestra & Choirs under the direction of Paul Tucker, Mariana Farah, and Carolyn Watson. Originally performed on December 2, 2018, this longstanding KU tradition features seasonal favorites such as What Sweeter Music, Betelehemu, and Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria along with the annual sing-along.