Music for all

Nicholle Andrews had a simple yet profound goal: to make music and the University of Redlands' annual Feast of Lights (FOL) tradition accessible to everyone in the Inland Empire, including members of the deaf community who had been largely absent from the celebration.

For its 78th year, that vision becomes reality as the Feast will feature a Deaf Ensemble for the first time in history—five members fully integrated into the performance, robed alongside the choir.

“Music should be a space where everyone feels included,” she said. “As FOL Director and Director of Choral Studies, my goal is to ensure our performances embrace the broader community—there’s always a seat for everyone at our table.”

The journey of making FOL more inclusive began in 2021 when Andrews met football player Calel Olicia-Aramboles '25. When she asked if he had attended as a guest, he said no. 

“Calel is a part of our community, so things need to change,” she said. “Thanks to an endowment from the Carmichaels in 2023, I was able to bring ASL interpreters to the Feast of Lights. We reserved three rows in the chapel so anyone needing ASL interpretation could sit there and have interpreters available to them.”

Through this effort, Olicia-Aramboles became the first known deaf person to attend the Feast of Lights as a guest. Witnessing Andrews prioritize accessibility by not only securing interpreters a year in advance but also making it a core principle with U of R Choral Area has been Jeannine De Loye, an interpreter from RISE ASL. With a deep connection to the deaf community, including her husband, close friends, and colleagues, De Loye calls this year's integration "embedded, rather than appended, accessibility."

"The Deaf Ensemble + FOL collaboration is a significant win for the local and global Deaf community," she said. "Dr. Andrews’ initiative to incorporate a Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH)-led Deaf Ensemble exemplifies a commitment to authentic equity: centering Deaf leadership and representation. This collaboration demonstrates that Deaf perspectives, cultural traditions, and artistic expression are integral to the production."

De Loye hopes Deaf audience members "feel seen, welcomed, and supported through genuine linguistic access" while witnessing their peers performing on stage. For hearing audiences, she hopes they see "the goodness of God expressed through the gifts, leadership, and cultural vibrancy of the Deaf performers.

For Andrews, this is just the beginning. The goal is to ensure all choral performances at the university welcome the deaf community.

“Our goal is to ensure this isn’t limited to the Feast of Lights, but that all our choral performances become spaces where members of the Deaf community feel fully welcomed,” she said.

The University of Redlands 78th Annual Feast of Lights takes place from Friday, December 5 to Sunday, December 7, 2025. Additional information, including ticket purchase details, can be found here.