I arrived at about 7:50pm, with the concert set to begin in 10 minutes. Anxiously I walked to the ticket table to see if there were any available. There weren't, but I was hopeful when the woman selling the tickets told me not to go anywhere. It wasn't exactly how I had planned it, but this year the tickets sold out pretty quickly and due to my own procrastination there weren't any left by the time I got around to purchasing one. My dorm mom had told me to show up anyway, just in case someone didn't claim their tickets. Though I had planned on arriving half an hour early, so I would be first in line for any no-show tickets that became available, I now found myself waiting with only minutes to spare. Tonight was their last performance, my last chance to get in.
Soon the choir began lining up, ready to make their entrance, and as I looked once more to the ticket counter I couldn't hide my excitement when the woman turned and offered one of the last remaining tickets to me. I was in!
Quickly, I made my way into the library, where the concert was being held. If purchasing a ticket was the first half of the battle, finding a seat would be the second. There were only a few, dotted here and there. I spotted some friends, but the empty seat next to them was saved for another latecomer. My search continued, and I found myself making my way further and further towards the front. If I didn't find one soon I would have to stand in the back. The concert was about to start and I was running out of time.
That's when I saw a seat next to an international student friend. He was sitting in the fourth row, and as I got his attention I couldn't tell if he was saving the seat for someone or if it was in fact empty. I committed, walking all the way over and was both thrilled and relieved to find out that the seat was in fact available. With mutual friends in the concert, I knew it would be easy to enjoy the performance together. After chatting a bit, I settled in and breathed a prayer of thanks for the ticket and the seat. It was time for the long awaited concert to begin.
At this point, there's really not much I can say that will do any justice to the wonder that is BBC's Winter Concert. A week later I am still incredibly thankful for the opportunity to attend. I was blessed and encouraged over and over as friends, classmates, and dorm mates all used their talents to glorify God. Hours of practice and hard work went into a performance that warmed my heart and challenged me to be grateful for the incredible sacrifice Christ made in coming to earth as a baby. What a joy to see my peers use their gifts in such a way! What a privilege to thank them for their ministry and interact with them afterward! Thanks to everyone who was involved in making the BBC Winter Concert a huge success!
Though it's not the same as attending the concert itself, I've included a link to a video of one of the songs from that night. From there you should be able to see a few more clips from the concert this season. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/user/sangpibroadcast#p/u/5/4RIC52nBrKQLabels: every day life, songs/music