The weather outside may have been frightful, thanks to a steady rain Sunday afternoon, but inside Kansas University’s Lied Center the charm and sound of Christmas music buoyed holiday spirits.

The center was sold out as more than 2,000 people attended each of two 80th Holiday Vespers programs presented by KU’s Department of Music and Dance and performed by the KU Symphonic Choir and Symphony Orchestra. Performances were given at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Kim Stewart directs the Lecompton United Methodist Church Choir in O

Among those enjoying the afternoon performance were Jay and Becky Crowder. The Overland Park couple make it a tradition to drive to Lawrence for Vespers.

“The combination of choir and orchestra is just beautiful,” Jay Crowder said. “This makes the holiday for us.”

In addition to the main performance, Becky Crowder said she enjoyed the choirs and musicians who performed in other areas of the building as people headed to their seats.

“We wouldn’t miss this,” she said. “They do things different here. It’s a nice way to showcase people’s talents and it’s great for the students.”

The choir, under the direction of John Paul Johnson and Paul Tucker, and the orchestra, under director Nicholas Uljanov, presented a mixture of familiar American Christmas carols along with carols from Sweden and France.

But Lawrence was not the only place to enjoy Vespers on Sunday. At least 100 people gathered to listen and perform in Lecompton’s Territorial Capital Museum chapel for its traditional Vespers concert.

“This just kind of starts the Christmas season for everybody,” said Kim Stewart, director of the Lecompton United Methodist Choir, which performed during the concert. “We really enjoy it.”

In addition to the choir, the Lecompton concert featured a variety of solos, duets and group numbers. Included was a rendition of “Silent Night” played by Willie Treaster on an 1857 melodeon. Such an instrument was popular among westward-traveling pioneers because it was small and lightweight.

“It was kind of a poor man’s piano,” said Phil Wizer, of Kansas City, Kan., who has played the melodeon in the past performances. “You get a pretty good idea of what musical instruments of that period sounded like.”

John Paul Johnson directs the Kansas University Chamber Choir during a preshow performance at the 80th Holiday Vespers. The Sunday afternoon and evening concerts drew sold-out crowds to the Lied Center.