Cathedral of the Madeleine sets Christmas concerts
There will be three performances by the choir of the Cathedral of the Madeline prior to Christmas day, as well as two Ceremony of Carols concerts.
The Christmas Carol Service will be held Monday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 24 at 4 p.m. The cathedral is located at 331 East South Temple in Salt Lake City. To reserve free guaranteed seating passes for the Christmas Carol Services, call 801-994-4663.
A Ceremony of Carols will be held on Friday, Dec. 17 and Wednesday, Dec. 22, both at 12:15 p.m., at the cathedral. Seating passes are not needed for the Ceremony of Carols services.
The Choir of the Cathedral of the Madeleine concerts bring together Christmas readings and favorite carols in an evening of reverent celebration. In addition, they offer the audience the opportunity to sing traditional holiday hymns along with the Choir.
Choristers of The Madeleine Choir School will also present Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carol. It is a masterpiece composed on board ship during a perilous five-week crossing of the North Atlantic during World War II as Britten returned to England from the USA. It is an unusual setting for treble voices and harp. The "carols" are largely the product of 15th and 16th century writers, most of whom are anonymous. They retain their unique flavor by Britten's extensive use of old English language.
The work opens and closes with the choir processing to plainsong, the Hodie chant sung for centuries at Vespers on Christmas Eve, and the sections in between deal with the traditional stories surrounding the birth of Christ. A Ceremony of Carols is a wonderful alternative to the Cathedral's popular Christmas Carol Service as these performances are not standing room only and require no seating passes. Some patrons also like the fact that they are shorter in length and presented during the day, making attending the concerts more convenient for many families with small children or seniors.
These performances are free of admission and open to the public. For more information on the concert season, call 801-994-4663.
