Holiday Performances See Changes
The Music Department will not host its annual Holiday Concert this year, citing concerns over inclusivity and the resources allotted for concert preparation. Historically, the performance has been scheduled for the weekend preceding winter break. Music Instructor Eric Sinclair’s Holiday Assembly, typically the last before break, will also not take place.
According to Music Department Chair Kristofer Johnson, the concert’s timing in December, when various religious and spiritual denominations celebrate holidays, raised concerns over the concert’s majority-Christian repertoire. “Quite a bit of the music at the holiday concert was sacred [to Christian faith],” he said. “By locating [the Holiday Concert] in December, it takes on different meanings. A student who is of any other faith tradition can feel really othered and alienated by the fact that their school is endorsing this [specific faith], even if it’s coded.”
Johnson explained that, while nobody was forced to participate, the concert’s religious affiliations and lack of an explicit opt-in/opt-out choice raised concerns. “It’s not truly voluntary for the students in the ensembles to take part in it,” Johnson said. “We would never compel a kid to do it if they didn’t want to. But it was never framed as: ‘Here is an event that has a tie to some spiritual traditions, and you can choose to take part in it or not.’”
Principal Bill Rawson affirmed the Johnson’s reasoning, explaining that students should not have to make a choice to perform based on their faith. “Reasons included concern about burden on students during a very difficult time in the school calendar, the fact that almost no students other than performers attended the off campus event and a feeling that an event as important as this one should be held at a time and in a manner that is equally inviting for all performing students,” he said. “Making it optional for performers is not sufficient—a marquee event should not be held in a way that forces some performers to make a choice.”
Interim Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Heidi Heath said the process for the decision was collaborative between both Religious Services and the Music Department. “Mr. Johnson from music and I began collaborating last spring to explore a different model of programming,” she said. “For a number of reasons, it made sense to move to a different programmatic model—primarily, the time and energy required of our students at an already busy time of the year and the school’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work.”
Johnson further cited concerns over financing and time. “We spend an enormous amount of time and energy and money to produce it,” he said. “It’s a time that’s really, really difficult for students because of all of the projects they have going on.”
After discussion with students, the Music Department chose to wait a year before returning to deliberation on a concert for the season. “We voted as a group not to do [an alternate plan],” he said. “[We will] wait a year to see what could come up [as a way to] help my colleagues feel like we [are] doing something really meaningful [and] inclusive.”
Music Instructor and Symphony Orchestra Conductor Rohan Smith provided the following statement to The Exonian.
“I honor the importance of inclusion in our community and believe that our school is taking many important and positive steps in this regard. While I fully respect the intention behind the cancellation of the Holiday Concert, I pevrsonally regret this decision. The nature of music, of singing and playing, is that of reaching out, of invitation and of sharing. It is the opposite of exclusion of any kind. We have an incredible well of goodwill in our music community. The Holiday Concert has always been an event full of this goodwill, eclectic and inviting in its sharing of traditions. By removing it, we disappoint a very large number of people in the extended community who derive joy from celebrating the season through music. I hope that, in the future, we will find a way to restore this tradition in a way that respects all in our community.”
Though he was unable to comment on the reason for its discontinuation, Sinclair provided some information on the tradition of his Holiday Assembly. “The Holiday Assembly was a time for the entire Exeter community—students, staff and faculty—to gather in the Assembly Hall during the last Assembly before Christmas break and sing together,” he said. “As the song leader, I would present a program of mostly well-known secular songs that I thought would be easy and fun for everyone to join in on.” Songs performed previously include “There Are (Songs To Be Sung),” “Deck The Halls,” “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer,” “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and “My Dreydl.” A holiday musical sing a long was held Tuesday night.
Students in ensembles that have performed in years past, including Concert Choir, Symphony Orchestra, and Concert Band, were divided on the decision. “I think that celebrating the holidays is important, and the Holiday Concert is a tradition at Exeter,” senior Ayush Noori, a singer in Concert Choir and StuCo President, said. “That being said, it’s equally important to respect the fact that people may not feel comfortable with explicit religious expression by the school. So that’s a hard balance to find.”
For some new students, the decision felt like a missed opportunity. “I can’t really say much because I’m a prep, and I don’t really know what the Holiday Concert would’ve been like, but I feel like any performance is a great experience for everyone,” prep Isabella Vesely said. “A Holiday Concert could have been a great opportunity to have fun playing festive music with others and to get to know people better.”
Johnson acknowledged student disappointment concerning the lack of a Holiday Concert this year. “It wasn’t that they wanted to be doing holiday music in December, but they liked doing more popular music and doing something non sibi in the community,” he said. “They liked that it was something really off the beaten track of what they usually do for ensemble concerts.”
Rawson explained that additional opportunities to perform would be present throughout December. “Mr. Johnson and Rev. Heath also collaborated on new and expanded offerings in Phillips Church, including the new Holiday Sing that was a smash success, the Candlelight Service that saw a significant increase in attendance and the Hanukkah celebration that will occur after the winter break,” he said. However, instrumentalists have not performed during winter term thus far, and the Faculty Appreciation Concert and Carol Sing are restricted to some student-led a cappella groups. Though a poll was sent to Exeter instrumentalists to perform at the Candlelight Service, not enough interest was shown.
Johnson clarified that while Candlelight Service was an explicitly Christian service, the Holiday Concert was more ambiguous and popular by nature, making it “something that we have to scrutinize.”
The Music Department received suggestions about possible future concerts. “We’ve heard that message and the idea that we could do a pop concert or a video game music concert or a film music concert or something really different, but it would be fundamentally inclusive.” Johnson said.
Students in ensembles engaged in discussions with Rawson and Johnson about the decision. “We ended up meeting with a number of student instrumentalists that just wanted to speak to me and to [Rawson] right before the end of the fall term,” Johnson said. “The conversation was excellent. I think the students quickly came around to: ‘These are the things we really loved about doing this event.’”
Overall, Johnson’s initiatives and decisions were influenced by the goals of school leaders. “I am cued by our Trustees, the leadership of the school and by my students to try to think critically about issues of equity and inclusion,” Johnson said. “This is the sphere in which I work, and it was impossible for me to ignore [the Holiday Concert] and not raise questions.” While some lament the loss of an Academy tradition, Johnson is eager to produce a more inclusive musical experience for students at Exeter.