The 77th annual Wartburg College Christmas with Wartburg performance, “Emmanuel: God With Us,” will showcase the talents of more than 300 student musicians at concerts Dec. 1-3 in West Des Moines and Waverly.

Tickets sales begin Wednesday, Nov. 1, for shows Saturday, Dec. 2, at 3 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 3, at 3 p.m. in Wartburg College’s Neumann Auditorium, as well as a performance Friday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines.

This year’s concert, designed by artistic director Lee Nelson, will feature a powerful re-envisioning of the ancient Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” scored for mass choirs, orchestra, band and organ.

“The theme ‘Emmanuel: God With Us’ will allow us to explore how God is ever present in our lives and the world around us,” said Nelson, Wartburg’s Patricia R. Zahn Chair in Choral Conducting. “But this event is so much more than just a concert. It is an experience that will immerse you in a beautiful marriage of music, spoken word and an original piece of art designed just for this project.”

Eight Wartburg musical groups will perform: the Wartburg Choir, Wind Ensemble, Castle Singers, Ritterchor (a bass clef ensemble), St. Elizabeth Chorale (a treble clef ensemble), Kantorei (a liturgical choir), the Handbell Choir and Kammerstreicher (a chamber orchestra).

Nelson will direct the Wartburg Choir and Ritterchor. Lia Snead, assistant professor of music and director of bands, will direct the Wind Ensemble. Nicki Toliver, associate director of choral activities, will conduct the Castle Singers and St. Elizabeth Chorale. Karen Black, cantor and college organist, will play the organ and lead Kantorei and the Handbell Choir. Rebecca Nederhiser, assistant professor of music, will direct Kammerstreicher.

A new mural designed by Chris Knudson, a 2001 Wartburg graduate and the college’s director of marketing and communication, features a stained-glass design with a new approach to the traditional Nativity imagery.

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

Tickets are $17-23 for all Waverly performances and $25 for the West Des Moines performance. A buffet dinner reception will be offered in Waverly on Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m. for an additional cost; concert tickets are not required. Concert and reception tickets can be purchased online at www.wartburg.edu/christmas, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the ticket office in Saemann Student Center or by calling 319-352-8200 during ticket office hours.