About the Wheaton College Christmas Festival

Wheaton College Christmas Festival with full choirs and orchestra

A beloved tradition for decades, Wheaton College Christmas Festival is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season.

Each year, the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music hosts three Christmas Festival concerts during the first weekend of December featuring Conservatory ensembles, and often with invited special guest vocalists and musicians. Audiences thrill to the musical delights of these Wheaton ensembles:

  • Men's Glee Club
  • Women's Choral
  • Concert Choir
  • Symphony Orchestra
  • Symphonic Band
  • Percussion Ensemble
  • Harp Ensemble
  • Gospel Choir

And every heart is warmed to hear the traditional candle-lit rendition of Silent Night echo through Edman Chapel. 

In more recent years, the Christmas Festival has been broadcast via American Public Television, allowing audiences around the country to enjoy this special event.



Our Ensembles

Concert Choir Our People Variant

Concert Choir

Led by Dr. John William Trotter, Concert Choir performs complex choral pieces for experienced and motivated choral singers.

Men's Glee Club Our People Variant

Men's Glee Club

Known for its tradition over the past 100+ years, The Men’s Glee Club (MGC) continues to involve around 60 men in life-changing experiences.

Wheaton College IL Symphony Orchestra

Symphony Orchestra

The Symphony Orchestra seeks to learn and perform excellent orchestral repertoire to glorify God and minister to others.

Women's Chorale Our People Variant

Women's Chorale

Women's Chorale seeks to worship God, uplift audiences, and enrich the college experience for its 60 ensemble members.

Symphonic Band Our People Variant

Symphonic Band

The Symphonic Band has maintained a tradition of close community and music excellence at Wheaton College for over 125 years.

Percussion Ensemble Our People Variant

Percussion Ensemble

Since the its founding in the fall of 1972 by Kathleen Kastner, more than 200 students have participated in the Percussion Ensemble.