University’s 53rd Annual Noel Night Goes Virtual

Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 53rd annual Noel Night, COVID edition, on Saturday, Dec. 5, virtually via social media. The concert has served as the University’s Christmas gift to the community for more than half a century.

The premiere “watch party” will take place on the Performance Music Facebook page on Dec. 5, beginning with a band caroling prelude at 7:45 p.m. Noel Night will begin at its traditional 8 p.m. start time. Following the premiere, the video will be available for re-streaming in its entirety on the Performance Music YouTube channel throughout the Christmas season.

The University’s Christmas gift to the community, Noel Night has become a beloved holiday tradition for many Scranton-area residents since its creation more than a half-century ago. Traditionally, it is a choral concert, but this year, due to the pandemic and concerns about singing and playing woodwind and brass instruments indoors, the choir – who will perform a few pieces virtually – are delighted to welcome the help of the University’s String Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble and the newly-formed Beginner Strings, Beginner Percussion and Steel Drum groups.

“We all certainly need something to lift our spirits during these challenging times, and it has been a pleasure to watch the resilience displayed by these students in their determination to continue to make and share their musical talents in whatever way is possible during this pandemic,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. “They were adamant that the first year in more than half a century without a Noel Night would not happen on their watch.”

For the virtual concert, the 40-voice mixed virtual choir will be joined by 25 members of the String Orchestra, the 12-member Percussion Ensemble, 33 beginner string and percussion players, and eight newly-minted steel drummers, as well as 15 stalwart band members who – after not having been able to play together since last March – came together on an incredibly cold, windy, rainy afternoon to play Christmas carols outdoors as they do when the audience is arriving each Noel Night. University President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Hal Baillie, Ph.D., professor emeritus, and Leonard Gougeon, Ph.D., distinguished professor of English and theatre, will offer greetings and Nativity readings from the books of John and Luke.

Also heard during the event will be contributions by legendary musician, composer, and educator Wycliffe A. Gordon H’06, the favorite guest artist of the Performance Music ensembles, and Mark Gould, a regular Noel Night guest who served as the principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra from 1974-2003, as well as a few alumni special guests.

Tom Salitsky, director of Advancement Communications, recorded the video of all of the concert hall portions of the event, and assembled and edited the concert video from all of the various parts, with additional footage provided by University students serving as assistant videographers Kasidy Leggin ’21, Archbald, and Alex Chan ’23, Wilkes-Barre. Joseph Link ’21, Springfield, served as videographer for the outdoor caroling. Scranton alumnus Mark Prestifilippo ’04 recorded the sound for the strings and percussion portions of the video. Joseph Boga did all of the audio and video engineering to create the virtual choir portions of the program from the individual recordings submitted by the singers.

In addition to Cheryl Y. Boga, Performance Music staff members include Janelle Decker, assistant director, and Thomas Cipriano ’98, administrative assistant.

For further information on the Noel Night concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.