“The Marvel of This Night,” the 66^th annual Christmas with Wartburg, will befit the “wonder and awe” of the holiday, according to director Dr. Lee Nelson.

Created around the beloved Carl Schalk hymn, “Before The Marvel of This Night,” the concert will be performed Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m., in Neumann Auditorium on the Wartburg College campus as well as Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines.

“I had it in the back of my mind for a long time that I wanted to build a Christmas concert around ‘Before The Marvel of This Night,’” Nelson said. “We basically took that song and created a reflection on it. Wonder and awe connect all the pieces.

“The whole concert builds to ‘Before The Marvel of This Night,’ the second-to-the-last piece, and ends with the tradition setting of the ‘Night of Silence’ — one right into the next.”

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

The concert will feature three arrangements by Dr. Craig Hancock, the Wind Ensemble director, who is on sabbatical, and a new setting of “Angels We Have Heard on High” by Josh Evanovich, a 2007 Wartburg graduate.

A new backdrop by Chris Knudson, the college’s director of creative strategy, and lighting by production manager Hans Pregler will complement the production.

“The mural is really spectacular, prompted by this idea of wonder, awe and marvel,” Nelson said. “Chris came up with the idea of using the Northern Lights — this magical, mystical natural dancing of light. We’ll be creating it with smoke and lights at the beginning and using more projection for greater illumination of the backdrop and highlighting of different aspects.”

Nelson will direct the Wartburg Choir and Ritterchor. Dr. Leonard Upham, professor emeritus at the University of Northern Iowa, is filling in as director of the Wind Ensemble. Matthew Armstrong, visiting assistant professor of music, will conduct the Castle Singers and St. Elizabeth’s Choir. Aaron Hansen, lecturer in music, will direct the Handbell Choir.

Tickets are $15 for all Waverly performances, plus a $1.50 processing fee, and can be purchased online at www.wartburg.edu/christmas and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays at the ticket office in Saemann Student Center or by calling 319 352-8691.

The Sunday performance is sold out.

Meals will be offered in Waverly Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m. The meal menu is available on the ticket website.