Women's Choir marks 25th year presenting Christmas tradition for community
 The Fredonia Women's Choir will celebrate its 25th anniversary of presenting the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols for the community on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. |
Fredonia Women's Choir
Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols
Justin Pomietlarz, conductor
Dec. 10, 8 p.m., First United Methodist Church
25 Church Street, Fredonia, NY
The SUNY Fredonia Women's Choir will be performing the 25th annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Fredonia's First United Methodist Church on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m.
This beloved holiday tradition will combine readings and musical portrayals of the story of Christmas. There is no fee for the event, but the Student Opera Theater Association is sponsoring a non-perishable food drive as a freewill offering. Monetary donations to the host church are always welcome as well.
The readers for this event are: President Hefner, Karl Boelter, Barbara Brinson, Tom Loughlin, Patty Feraldi, student Stephanie Doche, and community member Emma Hamilton (daughter of professors Sarah Hamilton and Mark DuBois).
The choir will also present newer works by composers Persis Vehar and Keith Peterson, SUNY Fredonia faculty emeritus, with the composers in attendance. This year's Festival also features works by Daniel Pinkham, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gabriel Faure, Carlisle Floyd, and Caludio Monteverdi, among others.
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols began in 1918 at the Church of England, marking the beginning of Christmas through nine Biblical readings. The SUNY Fredonia performance models the service presented annually at King's College Cambridge, England, but with its own unique Fredonia traditions. In celebration of the 25th Anniversary, the Women's Choir will feature a number of local artists, including James Bigham, organist/choirmaster at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Buffalo, mezzo-soprano Lynne McMurtry, and flutist Susan Royal.
