The 63-member National Lutheran Choir, based in Minneapolis, is making its sixth stop in St. Louis to perform its annual Christmas festival, this time themed “The Spotless Rose.” The performance will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Kirkwood on Saturday. “We look for a space that fits the kind of program that we do,” said David Cherwein, artistic director of the choir. “That was more of the effort than ecumenical issues…which I would love to brag about, but I can’t. We’re really all partners in the whole thing.” The chorus performs sacred music with the accompaniment of organ, flute and harp—with a few surprises mixed in for attendees. This year’s performance plays off of the theme of the rose, an important symbol for the Christian church. “The rose has always been associated with Christians as Christ or Mary, the mother of Christianity,” Cherwein said. “It is actually a pagan symbol that has to do with fertility, which is typical for the church to adapt and adopt. It’s kind of
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