The Hendrix College Choir presents the 2025 Candlelight Carol Service

Описание: We are so happy to welcome you to the annual Candlelight Carol Service, a Hendrix tradition that means so much to so many. Each year I am deeply touched by the kind words I hear from alumni who have attended yearly since their time as students (some going back over 50 years!) and families for whom the Christmas season doesn’t begin until they hear Once in Royal David’s City. That we are able to be a part of this season of joy brings me inspiration and heartfelt appreciation for the community we serve.


I'd like to offer a few remarks on the music you’ll be hearing this evening. Since 2015, each Candlelight Carol Service has featured a world premiere piece. This year's commission comes from composer Maxwell Kaye, a Connecticut-based composer and recent graduate of Mannes School of Music. His Gloria in Excelsis Deo is a rich and sophisticated setting of the Gloria movement of the Latin mass, with beautifully interwoven vocal parts, a wonderful organ accompaniment, and vibrant harmonies. We're also delighted to perform Stephen Paulus's The Old Church as our choral benediction, a piece chosen by members of the Hendrix Choir. Timothy Allen is pleased to offer Iain Farrington's Voices of the World as his closing voluntary. This work was composed for the coronation of King Charles III in 2023. That same year, the choir performed Farrington's Nova, Nova at Candlelight. The composer's signature jazz rhythms and harmonies are present throughout Voices of the World, offering lively exuberance at the close of the service. We hope you enjoy it!


As always, your offerings at this service are greatly appreciated. These gifts support the ongoing work of the Hendrix Choir, the commissioning of a new work for 2026’s services, and a donation to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Thank you for sharing in the holiday season with us and for supporting music at Hendrix College. Your presence means so much, and we wish you all a happy, healthy, and joyous Christmas.


Sincerely,
Andrew Morgan, DMA
Associate Professor of Music