In 1982, William Jewell College of Liberty, Missouri, joined with Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City, Missouri, to begin a holiday tradition that the college called a Christmas gift to the city in words and music.
KCUR recorded this year’s performance on December 10 at Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral for airing on Christmas Day.
Listen to the special broadcast:
Called "The City Come Again," the event was named after some lines in Robert Frost’s poem "Christmas Trees":
He proved to be the city come again
To look for something it had left behind
And could not do without and keep its Christmas.This year’s program included a variety of performances by Jewell faculty and ensembles: Christie White’s handbell choir; composer and conductor Anthony Maglione’s college’s concert choir; college organist Ann Marie Rigler, and many others.
It also includes poetry that reflects the season, including an original composition by poet Ruth Williams and a poem about the Christmas Truce of 1914 delivered by National World War I Museum and Memorial President and CEO Matthew Naylor.
Listen to the program in its entirety here: