The Hastings College Department of Music and Theatre invites the community to “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” on Sunday, December 5 at the First Presbyterian Church (621 N. Lincoln Ave.). The service is free and open to the public. Masks are required for all in attendance.
Download the 2021 program (.pdf).
Preludes played by the Hastings College Band and Hastings College Handbell Choir will begin at 3:00 pm., with the service to follow. Guests are asked to be seated before the preludes or enter the sanctuary silently during these performances.
Following the conclusion of “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols,” the Hastings College Choir, joined by Linda Vollweiler on organ, the Cathedral Brass Quintet and a percussion group will perform a new arrangement of John Rutter’s “Gloria.”
The framework of “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” dates back to 1880 when Anglican Bishop E.W. Benson composed the original service for Christmas Eve. In the century which followed, the program has been adapted several times. The service has been a part of Hastings College’s holiday traditions since the 1980s when then-President Thomas Reeves introduced it to the Hastings community.
Readers for this year’s service include Hastings College alumni, faculty and students.
The entire service, including preludes, will be recorded and premiered online at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 19 for all to enjoy. The premiere will be on Hastings College Music Facebook page at facebook.com/HastingsCollegeMusic, and Hastings College Youtube channel at youtube.com/hastingscollege.
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Hastings’ student-centered initiatives include providing books, an iPad and a two-week study away experience at no additional cost. A block-style semester schedule allows professors and students to focus on fewer classes at a time and promotes hands-on experiences. Discover more at hastings.edu.
