Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) will present the annual Hanging of the Green Christmas event themed “Share the Light” Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Recreation and Wellness Center on campus. Advanced reservations for the event are not required.

Three OBU choirs, The University Chorale, Bisonette Women’s Glee Club and Bison Glee Club, along with the OBU/Shawnee Community Orchestra will be featured. The University Ringers, under the direction of Dr. Patty Nelson, chair of the division of music and professor of music education, will provide music before the event from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Dr. Mark Franklin, the Burton H. Patterson professor of music and assistant professor of music, will provide the prelude and postlude.

The Bison Glee Club, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Sims, the Clair McGavern-Nancy Montgomery professor of music and associate professor of music, will perform “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” and “On Christmas Night.”

The Bisonette Glee Club, directed by Dr. Joshua Chism, OBU associate professor of music, choral and vocal, will perform John Rutter’s “Angels Carol,” “In the Bleak Midwinter,” and “I Saw Three Ships.”

The University Chorale, also under the direction of Chism, will present Paul Mealor’s “Jubilate Deo,” a Nigerian Carol “Betelehemu,” and “Wonderful Peace (Jul, Jul, Stralande Jul)” a Swedish Christmas carol.

OBU/Shawnee Community Orchestra, directed by Dr. Tim Kaiser, assistant professor of instrumental music education, will perform Tchaikovsky’s “Noël” from The Seasons and “Christmas Overture” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. The concert will also feature small instrumental ensembles performing holiday classics.

This year, the University will recognize 20 outstanding seniors, 10 male and 10 female. These students, nominated and selected by OBU faculty, are given the honor of hanging the green during the ceremony. The 2024 Hanging of the Green honorees include Vinson Miller, a business management major from Carrolton, Texas; Jaxon Smith, a Christian ministry major with a minor in history from Seminole, Oklahoma; Jordan Bartels, a Christian ministry major with a minor in pastoral ministry from Albuquerque, New Mexico; Jill Leslie, a computer science major with a minor in mathematics from Wichita Falls, Texas; Cailey Morris, a piano performance major with an emphasis in pedagogy from Enid, Oklahoma; Hannah Trent, an English education major with a minor in Spanish from Edmond, Oklahoma; and Caden Marten, a biology major from Tuscola, Oklahoma.

The 2024 Hanging of the Green honorees also include Caleb Rice, an elementary education major from Shawnee, Oklahoma; Harrison Shuman, a GME business major and a minor in Spanish from Norman, Oklahoma; Hudson Campbell, an Exercise Science major with an emphasis in pre-allied health from Owasso, Oklahoma; Ethan Morris, a philosophy major with a minor in biblical and theological studies from Enid, Oklahoma; Tanner Webster, a biblical and theological studies major with an emphasis in biblical studies and a minor in philosophy from Owasso, Oklahoma; Suman Washa, an elementary education major from India and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Annika Tomtschik, a physics and mathematics major from Wichita, Kansas; Zoee Weaver, an exercise science: pre-allied health major with a minor in natural science from Beaver, Oklahoma; Malachi Jaeger, a computer science major with a minor in mathematics from Kansas City, Kansas; Rachel Antony, an international business major from Clayton, Oklahoma; Sarah Black, a business administration major with a minor in finance from Edmond, Oklahoma; Madison Cope, an elementary education major from Piedmont, Oklahoma; and Grace Banks, a global marketplace engagement major with a minor in business from Marlow, Oklahoma.

The Friends of the Arts Dinner will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Geiger Center, rooms 219-220.  Tickets for the dinner are $25 per person and may be purchased online at okbu.edu/events/friends-of-the-arts.

The Friends of the Arts program is designed to provide benefits to members interested in attending and/or investing in campus events throughout the academic year. The Friends of the Arts Fund helps provide scholarships for student activities, new and modern equipment, program funding, and other essential resources that help foster artistic excellence.

Hanging of the Green is hosted by the OBU Division of Music along with the Office of Student Life. Held first in 1937, the annual Hanging of the Green holiday event has continued to be held throughout various places on campus and moved to Raley Chapel in 1961. Currently, it is being held in the Recreation and Wellness Center during the renovation of the chapel.

Join OBU for these events to “Share the Light.”

To learn more about OBU, visit https://www.okbu.edu.