Christmas Concert Deemed Too Christian for Public School Choir
Outcry over a demand that a high school Christmas concert include five secular songs for every religious one, and the subsequent disbanding of an exclusive student choir, has pushed the school board in Wausau, Wis., to schedule a special session tonight to gather public comment on the issue.
Phil Buch, who has directed the Wausau West High School choir program for the past 30 years, told the Daily Herald Media he was called into a meeting last Thursday with administrators during which he was given three options for The Master Singers’ upcoming Christmas performances: perform five secular songs for every religious one, sing no Christmas music at all, or postpone any winter concerts until after December. Buch rebuffed the restrictions and disbanded the choir in protest.
Traditionally, The Master Singers (TMS) perform not only a school Christmas concert, but at several outside venues during the...