The Schola Pacis, Nashville’s male a cappella group, will present the 129-year-old program Festival of Lessons and Carols Dec. 13 at Benton Chapel on the campus of Vanderbilt University.
The 3 p.m. event, which is free and open to the public, has been popular for the past five years at Christ the King Church. This is the first year it will be presented in Benton Chapel and sponsored by the Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture program at Vanderbilt Divinity School.
The Schola Pacis performs a liturgical repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant to Renaissance polyphony and modern masterpieces. Carols to be performed on Dec. 13 include “Masters in This Hall,” “Noel Nouvelet” and “Psallite.” The audience will be invited to sing carols including “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Musical accompaniment will include organ, piano, violin and harp.
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols celebrates the prophecies and birth of Jesus. Nine short readings, followed by Christmas carols and hymns, tell the story of the fall of man, the promise of a Messiah and the birth of Jesus. The format, drawn up by E.W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, for Christmas Eve 1880, has been adapted and used by churches all over the world.
Benton Chapel is at 411 21st Ave. S. Parking for the event will be available in the Wesley Place Garage at 2043 Scarritt Place.
Financed by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, the Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture program at Vanderbilt Divinity School harnesses the creativity of the arts for theological reflection, as well as provides a venue for leaders in the popular culture industry to explore the theological context and religious dimensions of their work.
For more information about the Schola Pacis, see www.scholapacis.com.
Media contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu