News

The Austin College community opens the holiday season with the annual Service of Lessons and Carols on December 6 at Grand Avenue Presbyterian Church, 901 N. Grand Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.

The event will be held at Grand Avenue Presbyterian this year due to continuing renovation work on Wynne Chapel on campus.

The Service of Lessons and Carols will include Hebrew and Christian scriptures, carols, anthems, and a candle-lighting ceremony. The A Cappella Choir and Chamber Orchestra will perform selections from Handel’s “Messiah.”

Faculty and staff participants will include President Steven P. O’Day, David Whelan of the Physics Department, registrar Eugenia Harris, and Madalyn Haines of the Academic Skills Center staff.

Student readers include Lois Bronaugh ’20 of Buda, Texas; Ti’Anna Smith ’22 of Houston, Texas; Harrison Vickmark ’21 of McAllen, Texas; and Dylan Williams ’23 of Garland, Texas. Santos Botella ’20 of League City, Texas, will deliver the invocation.

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and more than 100 expert faculty members allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. This year, the campus recognizes 100 years of co-education and has had several opportunities to recognize the history of women and accomplishments of current alumnae. Austin College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.

 The instrumental ensembles of Austin College under the direction of Dr. Ricky Duhaime will present their annual fall concert on Monday, November 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Ida Green Theatre of Ida Green Communication Center on the Austin College campus. Regular concert attendees should note the change of venue as Wynne Chapel remains under renovation. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Music Department at Austin College:  903.813.2251.

The first half of the concert will be devoted to the Austin College Chamber Orchestra. The orchestra will perform Jubilant Overture by American composer Joshua Reznicow; an arrangement of the Venetian Barcarolle, Op.19, No.6, by Felix Mendelssohn as conducted by Austin College music education student Zoe Rice; and a suite of Old Dances and Airs by Ottorino Respighi, orchestrated for winds and strings by Duhaime.

Austin College students in the Chamber Orchestra are joined this semester by community members Greg Hendrix and Linda Milbourn, as well as Austin College adjunct faculty member Cathy Richardson. Student group members are completing majors and minors from many disciplines of the college, with varying professional goals and a continuing interest in music. 

The second half of the concert will feature the Greater Texoma Jazz Ensemble performing a variety of big band charts in both traditional and contemporary styles, with soloists drawn from the group.

The Greater Texoma Jazz Ensemble consists of students, faculty, and adults from throughout the region, with performance venues this semester at the First Baptist Church in Whitesboro and the Baylor, Scott & White Medical Center in Sherman in addition to Austin College.  The concert this semester will feature jazz soloists Dakota Cole and Xavier Shubert, alto saxophones;  Paul Onspaugh, tenor saxophone; Jesse Speer, Michael Waters, Jonah Brown, Sam Ivie, and Bob Archer, trombones; Doug Hanson and John Vietta, trumpets; Phil Pitts, piano; David Moore, guitar; and Richard Burleson, drums.

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and more than 100 expert faculty members allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. This year, the campus recognizes 100 years of co-education and has had several opportunities to recognize the history of women and accomplishments of current alumnae. Austin College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.