For nearly 50 years, Anderson University's annual "Candles & Carols" event has ushered in the Christmas season at the Indiana liberal arts institution. Audience members return year after year to hear the familiar strains of "Silent Night" and other traditional Christmas hymns echo through the campus auditorium amid the glow of candlelight. The 2011 edition of CANDLES & CAROLS spotlights the professional-caliber talents of the more than 250 students from AU's School of Music, including the Chamber Orchestra and Chorale, the Men's Choir, the Women's Chorus, the Wind Ensemble and the Dance Ensemble. On a stage festively dressed in poinsettias, stained glass and wreaths, the musicians perform orchestral pieces by Beethoven, Bach and Vivaldi, popular holiday arrangements, and familiar carols. Highlights include a medley featuring “Good King Wenceslas," the traditional Catalonian carol "El Desembre Congelat," and Beethoven's lively rondo from "Piano Quartet in C Major."