Christmas Eve Candlelight Music Service

Each year, the Christmas Eve Candlelight Music Service is a highlight of the season.  This service has been a treasured tradition for generations.  The sanctuary, lit by candle and gaslight, must seem very much the same today as it was on a Christmas Eve a distant 175 years ago, when the church building was new.  Many members of the congregation and community return every year for this solemn and joyful service of music, readings, and reflection.

This year, we are delighted to offer a beautiful program of Christmas music for choir, soloists, string ensemble, and organ.  The program will include selections from Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, a number of familiar carols, and some interesting and unusual selections.  Philip Nicolai’s How Brightly Shines the Morning Star is one of the great Advent hymns.  We will perform works by several composers who have ingeniously incorporated this melody into an original work, including a joyful contrapuntal duet by Bach and Mendelsohn’s great chorus, Behold a Star From Jacob Shining. Several uniquely American carols will also be heard. Go Tell it On the Mountain is one of the most beloved African – American Christmas songs. What Songs Were Sung, by folklorist and songwriter John Jacob Niles is a haunting folk song every bit as beautiful as his more familiar I Wonder as I Wander.  Our choir and soloists Thais Schaller, Karen Geer, Cameron Mitchell Bell, and Andrew Cook – Feltz will be featured with string ensemble and organ.

The service will include readings and reflection by Rev. O’Neill and Rev. Geiger and congregational singing.  Be sure to arrive early to get a seat, as the service is always crowded.  Child care will be provided in the undercroft.