Those who look forward to Brevard College’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols each December can enjoy the service in the comfort of their home this year. A video version of the service will be posted to the Fine Arts playlist on Brevard College’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/BrevardCollegeNC) on December 18, and the Music faculty will host a live watch party that evening at 7:30 p.m. on Brevard College’s Fine Arts Facebook page. (To attend the watch party, go to facebook.com and type “Brevard College, Fine Arts”)
In keeping with the tradition established by King’s College in Cambridge, England, the lessons include the fall of humanity as told in Genesis, the prophecy of the Messiah from the book of Isaiah, and stories of the annunciation and nativity selected from the gospels of Luke, Matthew and John. Each lesson is followed by a carol that illuminates the text. The lessons are read by Brevard College faculty and staff, and the carols are performed by the Brevard College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, with two solo carols performed by voice faculty members Drs. Kathryn Gresham and Brittnee Siemon.
Preparation for this year’s Lessons and Carols service was very different, given the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. All components of the service were pre-recorded, mixed and edited by Dr. David Gresham, Director of Choral Activities. Thanks to the generosity of the Brevard Music Center, the College’s musical ensembles were able to rehearse and record in the BMC’s outdoor spaces this fall. Recording outdoors presented special challenges. “When recording outdoors (right beside a lake), you often record wind, ducks, and leaf blowers along with the beautiful singing. We joked at times about creating our own version of the 12 days of Christmas – 12 ducks a quacking, 11 blowers blowing, etc.,” says Dr. Gresham. “The other recording issue during the pandemic was keeping everyone a safe distance apart while singing. This meant limiting the size of the ensembles and recording in scenarios where it was a little more difficult for singers to hear each other while performing. Still, even with all the limitations, it was a joy to be together again and make music for this special ceremony. We focused on the move from darkness to light embedded in the chosen lessons this year and have included James MacMillan’s “O Radiant Dawn,” which will likely be new to the ears of all but the most ardent fans of choral music.” In addition to this motet, the service includes traditional carols and works by Bach, Tavener, Distler, and Rachmaninoff. For information: Brevard College Fine Arts Division Office, 828-641-0605 or knowledl@brevard.edu