Christmas at the Mabee Center: ORU’s Annual Christmas Concert to be Held Friday, Dec. 3
For Immediate Release: Dec. 1, 2021
For More Information: Dr. Charles Scott, Vice President of External Affairs, Office: 918.495.6228, Cell: 417.291.6335, cscott@oru.edu
TULSA, Okla.—Oral Roberts University (ORU) will hold its annual Christmas concert on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Mabee Center. This year’s theme, “How I Found My Christmas Merry,” will feature popular holiday classics performed by ORU music students and faculty. Entry to the event is free with an unwrapped toy donation for the Tulsa-area Salvation Army.
“We are excited to showcase the talented ORU students and faculty in this year’s Christmas concert,” said ORU President Dr. William Wilson. “This annual event shines a light on our amazing artists, and is part of ORU’s ongoing commitment to excellence in the arts. We are expanding our vision to develop innovative performers and creative communicators with the new 72,000-square-foot Media Arts Center. ORU is also honored to join with The Salvation Army to bless Tulsa-area children with a Christmas gift. We hope everyone can join us this Friday evening.”
This year’s concert will feature students from ORU’s Theatre, Dance, and Visual Arts Departments. The show will include ORU’s Dance Ensemble performing excerpts from “The Nutcracker Suite” and the ORU Chorale performing “We Shall Light.” There will also be performances by ORU’s String Ensemble, Jazz Combo, and popular gospel group NuVoices.
"ORU is a shining light in Tulsa,” said Captain Daniel Nelson of The Salvation Army, “and their annual Christmas concert is a beautiful offering to the community. We're so grateful to, once again, be a part of ORU’s concert, and we appreciate the University’s help in collecting toys from across the city. The toys collected at ORU will help The Salvation Army give toys to more than 5,800 children in the days just before Christmas!"
ORU’s annual Christmas concert is part of the University’s contribution to Tulsa and the creative arts. Recently, ORU continued its artistic legacy by breaking ground for a new Media Arts Center (MAC). The MAC will be the new home for ORU’s storytellers and artists, which includes theatre, dance, music, and digital media departments. This addition will include a green room, rehearsal spaces, dressing rooms, faculty offices, and a costume shop, which create support space for students.
The new Media Arts Center serves as another commitment to student services and to the future of higher education in Tulsa. Over the last five years, ORU has made extensive additions and improvements to its campus. Along with the new MAC, construction has begun on a new Welcome Center and the ground has been broken on the new J.D. McKean Library and the Mike Carter Athletic Center. These four buildings will complete Phase One of the Whole Leaders for the Whole World Campaign. Phase Two includes a new meal service building and new student housing.
ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY
ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with over a decade of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 126 nations to be whole leaders for the whole world.
The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #4 university in the nation for student engagement. This ranking is based upon faculty interactions, collaborative learning, critical thinking, real-world applications of student learning, the extent to which classes challenge students, and whether students would recommend a university to others.
ORU is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as
#1 in Undergraduate Teaching
#2 in Most International Students
#3 in Best Value
#6 in Best College for Veterans
#7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West
For more information, visit www.oru.edu.