Clothed in blue robes, choral students perform for an excited audience.. Andrew Garver / The Choate News.
The three weeks in between Thanksgiving and Christmas break at Choate are filled with excitement and stress, but holiday traditions such as Holiday Ball and Tiz the Season prevail. Lessons and Carols is one such Choate tradition. This old custom began in Truro Cathedral in 19th century. However, Choate uses the 1918 adapted version of King’s College Chapel in Cambridge by Dean Eric-Milner-White.
The Lessons and Carols service started as the Chapel lights dimmed and Lily Kops ’18 began the carol “Once in Royal David’s City.” In blue robes and holding candles, the Chamber Chorus entered the chapel and filled the space with beautiful sounds. Speaking with Kops after the service, she acknowledged that her solo was a lot of pressure. “There was no accompaniment; it’s all a cappella. Basically, if I go out of tune, the whole choir goes out of tune.” Without a doubt, Kops lived up to expectation and led a stunning beginning to the service.
The rest of the service was exceptional, and the entire chapel was filled with beauty both through the the music and the candles lighting up the darkness. Director of the Arts Kalya Yannatos gushed about the service: “I always think it’s magical but this year, it was particularly magical. I don’t know if it was choice of music, profound words share, or the incredible spirit and beauty that our students evoked through singing that is truly magical.”
Jeanne Malle / The Choate News.
Although Choate is a non-denominational school, Lessons and Carols is, in fact, a religious service. Rev. Ally Brundige stated, “Lessons and Carols at Choate is a tradition that started when it really had a Christian emphasis, and it continued into this time of not only being non-denominational but multi-faith, including secular and religious traditions among our great and awesome diversity as a school. It is also one of the times where spiritual life and the music program come together to offer something to the community – both those within Choate who are celebrating the season of advent and Christmas, and also the greater Wallingford community, so it acts as a gift to the campus and world for those to whom Christianity is a tradition and really upholds beautiful musical tradition while doing so.”
Stephen Ankoue ’17, a co-president of the Chamber Chorus, reflected on the service: “I wanted to share the hard work that Festival and Chamber Choruses have put into the songs that we have worked on. Because we have spent two months on them, we really wanted to go out to the community and provide awe-inspiring beauty to them through what we feel is great music. I’m not Catholic myself, but I still feel like I can get a lot out of it by the beauty of the music and the essential messages that the lessons give us. I feel great — I am about to go home, it’s Christmas, and I’m ready to spend time with friends and family over the holidays.”
As a member of Choate’s Festival Chorus, it was a heart- warming experience to be a part of Lessons and Carols and take part in the spirit of Christmas, serving the community in the meantime. It was a gorgeous service and those who attended left into the snowy winter weather feeling warm and having the joy of the holiday season within them.
