A long-time Salina holiday tradition is returning. Kansas Wesleyan’s Department of Music is preparing this year’s Christmas by Candlelight event “Prince of Peace.”

According to the school, Kansas Wesleyan’s Department of Music will host its traditional Christmas by Candlelight  holiday concert on Sunday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. The event will be held in downtown Salina at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, and admission is free.

“This is a great moment every year, and this year is no exception,” said Dr. Leonardo Rosario, director of strings at KWU and the leader of this year’s event. “We’re proud to give this performance to the community every year and hope to see the Stiefel Theatre full on Dec. 3!”

This year’s theme is “Prince of Peace,” and five local schools – Salina South, Salina Central, Sacred Heart, Southeast of Saline and Coronado Elementary – will join KWU’s choral and instrumental ensembles in this celebration.

The tradition of a Christmas concert at KWU dates back, at minimum, to the 1950s, when the philharmonic choir would put on its annual Yule Program. While there were periodic mentions of candlelight being involved in the program during the ensuing decades, the Christmas by Candlelight title came into being, for good, in 1982.

More information about the 2023 edition of Christmas by Candlelight, including details on live streaming, can be found at www.kwu.edu/cbcl23.