The Third Sunday in Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday. In December 2018, St. John Lutheran Church, in conjunction with Oak Park Concert Chorale, celebrated that Sunday with a Gaudete Festival. We invite you to view this unique celebration again (or for the first time).

You are encouraged to follow along in the program so you have all of the words in front of you. The program can be viewed, downloaded, or printed here.

The links here will direct to you to Pastor Leonard Payton’s sermon and a transcript of his Gaudete sermon with additional explanations is here.

This concert is a recreation of the Medieval Celebration of Gaudete, which officially was the beginning of Christmas celebration at the time. Included is original Medieval and Renaissance Carols, and modern settings of the historical texts. The original Gaudete Festival consisted of Tableaux (living statues depicting Christmas stories), Processions with banners, Carols played and sung with circle dancing.

Oak Park Concert Chorale performing the ‘Motet for the Time of Easter’ by Richard Hillert, a brilliant composer and a great friend to OPCC.

A 2012 interview between Oak Park Concert Chorale Director Paul Lindblad and composer Carl Schalk in which they discuss the music of Richard Hillert and Carl Schalk that appears on the CD set ‘Oak Park Concert Chorale Premières.’ This CD set is available from Oak Park Concert Chorale and as a download from Bandcamp.

‘Gabriel’s Message Does Away’ composed by Carl Schalk in 2020 and recorded virtually for The Oak Park Concert Chorale.