The 68^th annual Christmas with Wartburg “Rejoice in the Living Water” will connect the Christmas season with regeneration and rebirth through music, art and word at concerts Dec. 4-6.

Tickets are on sale now for shows Saturday, Dec. 5, at 3 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m., in Wartburg College’s Neumann Auditorium as well as Friday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m., at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines.

Christmas with Wartburg will christen Neumann Auditorium’s new state-of-the-art Transcend™ virtual acoustic system. This revolutionary technology will enhance the audience’s listening experience and offer the versatility to give our students an enhanced learning and performance environment.

“This year we had the difficult but exciting task of connecting water with the Christmas story, which has taken some time to put together,” said Lee Nelson, Christmas with Wartburg artistic director and professor of music. “The theme actually came to me the first year we went to Lutheran Church of Hope and I saw the beautiful baptismal font, which is a floor-to-ceiling waterfall at the front of the church. I knew that some year I wanted to incorporate the font into Christmas with Wartburg.”

The concert will also feature a hymn arrangement by Karen Black, professor of music; Christmas carols arranged by Wartburg alumnus Josh Evanovich; and various mass ensemble pieces transcribed for concert band by Craig Hancock, professor of music.

The Wartburg Choir also will debut “Living Water,” a newly commissioned work by Tom Trenney.

Seven Wartburg musical groups will perform: the Wartburg Choir, Wind Ensemble, Castle Singers, Ritterchor men’s choir, the all-female St. Elizabeth Chorale, Kantorei and the Handbell Choir.

Nelson will direct the Wartburg Choir and Ritterchor. Hancock will direct the Wind Ensemble. Nicki Toliver, assistant professor of music, will conduct the Castle Singers and Kantorei. Black will direct the St. Elizabeth Chorale. Aaron Hansen, lecturer in music, will direct the Handbell Choir.

This year's production is made possible, in part, through the support of Sukup Manufacturing.

Tickets are $16.50 for all Waverly performances and $18.50 for the West Des Moines performance. Meals will be offered in Waverly Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m. for an additional cost. Concert and meal tickets can be purchased online at www.wartburg.edu/christmas, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the ticket office in Saemann Student Center or by calling 319-352-8691.