Members of Kansas University’s Symphonic Choir perform during the 82nd Holiday Vespers in 2006.

Some big changes are coming to one of the best-attended holiday musical events in Lawrence.

Each year, thousands of people come to the Lied Center for two performances of Kansas University’s annual Holiday Vespers.

This year, the event’s 84th, will see a new choral director, Paul Tucker, at the helm.

“It’s a lot of changes, but they’re all minor changes,” Tucker says. “When you take so many of them, it seems like a total face-lift or makeover.”

This year’s Holiday Vespers will be at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7. Tickets are $12.50 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

Tucker replaced John Paul Johnson as director of choral activities at KU this school year. He previously was associate director for four years.

That experience at the university — and with Vespers — allowed him to hit the ground running on the changes he wanted to make. He also convened a committee to help with the event.

Among the changes:

• In the past, only the orchestra and choral divisions were involved. Now, more of the School of Fine Arts’ divisions, including dance, will perform.

• The concert will be cut to one hour, with less time for transitions between numbers. “When you pack it with a wonderful, emotional experience, one hour is a wonderful time to spend in that room,” Tucker says.

• Videos will be incorporated into the program, including a video showing Vespers from previous generations. “One of my goals this year,” Tucker says, “is to re-establish a link with the past.”

He’s also considering bringing back the tableau, a time-honored tradition of Vespers in days gone by. Performers would create a holiday scene and hold the position for several minutes, almost like recreating a painting on stage.

“I have no intention of doing that this year,” Tucker says. “I don’t have enough information for how it looks. But it’s something I want to revisit in the future. I could see how it would be striking.”

The new ideas for Vespers are exciting for David Neely, who is in his second year conducting KU’s Symphony Orchestra.

“It’s been such a tradition now — it’s obviously filling a need for people,” he says. “It’s like an old family tradition. They hear live the kind of music they might be hearing at home or on the radio.”

For Ben Almquist, a KU student who will be performing in his fifth Holiday Vespers, the annual event is one of the highlights of singing at KU. And with the changes, he’s excited to see what the crowd thinks.

“It’s going to add so many new things,” he says. “It’s exciting.”

In addition to the Holiday Vespers, the seventh annual Jazz Vespers will be at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Lied Center. Tickets are $12.50 for adults or $10 for students and seniors.