Normally, this time of year, Briercrest College and Seminary would be just about ready to lift the curtain on their annual Christmas musical. 

Unfortunately, the pandemic has put a hold on the college's many live performances, with the music department being forced to come up with some inventive solutions.

Chair of the music department Dr. Ron de Jager, explains what a normal Christmas celebration at Briercrest would look like.

"We usually get thousands of people over the weekend out to see our Christmas production. We have a live orchestra, a mass choir, a huge nativity with angels flying in the air, and it's all centered around an original drama. It's probably the largest spectacle of its kind in the province. People come as far as B.C. and the Maritimes to see it. It usually involves upwards of 300 people just to put it on."

Obviously, with numbers like that, such an event simply is not possible this year. However, de Jager knew they still wanted to reach out to their audience. So, throughout the fall, students, staff, and alumni of the music program have been working on recording and filming a number of music videos to be released in the weeks leading up to Christmas. 

"Music is something that can reach us in the midst of a pandemic," says de Jager. "With us all being at home more than usual, we need music and the arts more than ever." 

The first of three videos has been released today, Dec. 4, and was filmed on location at the Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum, just south Moose Jaw. It portrays a mother waiting for her son to come home from the First World War, all set to familiar carols. 

"The story takes place in the early 1900s and Sukanen provided the perfect setting to film it in. Our a capella choir pre-recorded everything one at a time in the studio and then just lipsynced on the day of filming. It was an amazing experience for our students to get to work with professional videographers."

While the next two videos have yet to be released, they contain performances of songs like "Mary Did You Know" and "Agnus Dei" by alumni of Briercrest from all over Canada and the U.S. 

"We're filming from Mary's perspective and thinking about just what it would be like to be the mother of Jesus."

Those videos will be released in the coming weeks and on Christmas Day respectively. 

"I think it will set the tone for Christmas really well," adds de Jager, "and it's very heartwarming to watch."

The annual Christmas musical serves as a huge fundraiser for the music department, but this year, they're offering the videos free of charge.

"This is a way to reach out to our audience and say, 'Hey, we are still thinking about you right now, and we really value you, so this is our gift to you.'"

You can watch the music video here.