For more than four decades, Augsburg University has ushered in the Advent and Christmas seasons with Advent Vespers, a magnificent experience of music and liturgy, focusing on the theme of preparation and culminating in the joyful celebration of the Incarnation.

The 43rd Advent Vespers will be held in person at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, with one livestream option available. 

• Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8 p.m. (open dress rehearsal)
• Friday, December 2, 2022 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 2 p.m. (with livestream) and 5 p.m.

The event is free, with a suggested donation of $30 per person. Seating envelopes are required for entry and are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. They can be requested online, by mail, or in person at the Augsburg Music Office. 

Shuttle service will be available from Augsburg’s Anderson Music Hall to Central Lutheran and back, with limited parking available in lot A on Augsburg’s campus. 

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This event takes place in the remarkable neo-Gothic sanctuary of Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, with a ceiling that soars 65 feet and large stained glass windows similar to those of London’s Westminster Abbey. More than 300 musicians, liturgists and banner carriers will participate in this dramatic and uplifting event.

Seating envelopes are required for the service and are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Suggested donations, received at the door, are $10 per person or $25 per family. Non-perishable food donations will be collected before each service for distribution to community food banks. For more information, call 612-330-1265 or visit the Vespers .

Watch the 2009 Vespers on YouTube.

December 2, 2011 at 5 and 8 p.m.

December 3, 2011 at 2, 5, and 8 p.m.

Currently, the 2 and 5 p.m. services on Saturday, December 3 are full. If you wish to be added to a waiting list for either of these services, please contact the Music Office directly at 612-330-1265. You will be notified by Thursday, December 1 if tickets become available.

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From this first service, Advent Vespers grew to four services. Last year, more than 10,000 people attended, making this Augsburg’s largest event of the year.

This year, as Advent Vespers celebrates its 30th anniversary, a fifth service has been added, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, offering a daytime service to more easily accommodate larger groups of visitors.

Augsburg’s partnership with Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, with its majestic sanctuary and stained-glass windows, allows Advent Vespers to be unique.

“We can create the essence of a Christmas concert and transform it into not just a concert but a spiritual experience,” says Peter Hendrickson ’76, Advent Vespers artistic director and director of choral activities. “The liturgical elements transform the music to a deeper level.”

Over the years the Advent Vespers services have stayed the same more than they have changed, says Pastor Dave Wold, campus pastor and director of ministries. “My fascination is with Advent Vespers as a service, and we work hard to keep it close to a theme and give a message of hope for the season.”

While the liturgical party that carry bells, banners, the cross, and the Gospel has grown in numbers, and four choirs now feature more than 250 singers, the experience has remained constant. The liturgical journey begins in darkness with “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” moves to recognition and joyful celebration of Christ’s birth, and ends with quiet reflection in the warm candlelight of “Silent Night.”

Music professor and organist Stephen Gabrielsen ’63, who has played for all but one Advent Vespers service when he was on sabbatical, recalls that the weather has also been constant—there has never been a service cancelled on this first weekend of December because of winter weather.

In 2004, to mark Advent Vespers’ 25th anniversary, TPT-2 public television made a recording of the service, which continues to be shown each year on public television, and received a regional Emmy for its technical production. Recordings in both DVD and CD format are available through Augsburg’s Music Department.

Article by Betsey Norgard, Augsburg Now, Fall 2009

2009 Advent Vespers Schedule

Friday, December 4 at 5 and 8 p.m.

Saturday, December 5 at 2, 5, and 8 p.m.

Central Lutheran Church

333 S. 12th Street, Minneapolis

For seating information, call 612-330-1444 or go to .

The post Advent Vespers keeps growing at 30 years appeared first on News and Media.

This event takes place in the remarkable neo-Gothic sanctuary of Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, with a ceiling that soars 65 feet and large stained glass windows similar to those of London’s Westminster Abbey. More than 350 musicians, liturgists and banner carriers will participate in this dramatic and uplifting event.

Seating envelopes are required for the service and are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Suggested donations, received at the door, are $10 per person or $25 per family. Non-perishable food donations will be collected before each service for distribution to community food banks. For more information, call 612-330-1444 or visit www.augsburg.edu/vespers.

The post Advent Vespers appeared first on News and Media.

Here are highlights of events taking place in the coming weeks. Go to the website for more information and the full schedule of events.

Artist Roundtable & Reception

Friday, November 21 at 5:30 p.m.

Marshall Room (main floor), Christensen Center

Admission is free.

Nick Conbere will be on hand to describe his creative process in creating the show, “The Mysteries of Ordinary Places” on display in the Gage Family Art Gallery. Shannon Collis and Erik Waterkotte will join Mr. Conbere and moderator Joanne Price (Studio Manager, Highpoint Center for Printmaking) in a conversation about their work, “Superimpositions,” in the Christensen Center Art Gallery. Go to the Augsburg Art Gallery for more information.

The Pot of Gold

By Plautus and directed by Augsburg student, Russ Dugger

Friday, November 21 at 7 p.m.

Saturday, November 22 at 7 p.m.

Sunday, November 23 at 2 p.m.

Tjornhom-Nelson Theater, Augsburg campus

Tickets are $5 general admission; $4 ACTC faculty, staff and students; $1 for Augsburg students and children under 12. Reservations can be made by calling 612-330-1257.

Euclio has always been a good and thrifty God-fearing man. All that is to change the day he discovers a pot of gold. How will he handle this new-found treasure? Follow Euclio, the miser, as he grapples with his new status in this Roman Comedy about deception, mistaken identity, greed, and the lengths one will go to conceal wealth.

Friday, December 5 at 5 and 8 p.m.

Saturday, December 6 at 5 and 8 p.m.

Central Lutheran Church, Downtown Minneapolis

Augsburg College will celebrate is 29th year of Advent Vespers, a meditative celebration of the beginning of the Christmas season with traditional and contemporary hymns, anthems and carols. Nearly 8,000 people attend these services every years making it one of the largest holiday music events in the Twin Cities. Held in the beautifully renovated Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, more than 300 students, staff, and faculty will participate in choirs, instrumental ensembles, as readers, or in the festive liturgical party.

Seating is limited and reservations are strongly encouraged. Call 612-330-1265, email musicdept@augsburg.edu, or a seating order form.

A Cup of Christmas Tea

Wednesday, December 10 at 4 p.m.

Sateren Auditorium

Student performances of chamber music by Purcell, Vaughan Williams, and Piazzola

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This event takes place in the remarkable neo-Gothic sanctuary of Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, with a ceiling that soars 65 feet and large stained glass windows similar to those of London’s Westminster Abbey. More than 350 musicians, liturgists and banner carriers will participate in this dramatic and uplifting event.

Seating envelopes are required for the service and are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Suggested donations, received at the door, are $10 per person or $25 per family. Non-perishable food donations will be collected before each service for distribution to community food banks. For more information, call 612-330-1444 or visit .

Meanwhile, join us on Nov. 30 for Velkommen Jul, a Scandinavian celebration of the start of the Christmas season. A special Velkommen Jul chapel service will be held that day at 10:20 a.m. in the Hoversten Chapel. Afterwards, enjoy Scandinavian treats and gifts hosted by the Augsburg Associates in the Christensen Center from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

For more information on Velkommen Jul, check out this article.

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