Festival of Lessons and Carols to be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church | Arts & Culture

The combined choirs of Our lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church along with the Rosewood Chamber Ensemble and guest soloist Renee Kotsovos will join together to present A Festival of Lessons and Carols. The public is invited to attend this joyous and reflective presentation of music and readings as we prepare for the arrival of Christmas. The event will be held on Monday, December 17 at 7 p.m. at the Church, which is located at 1709 Lyttleton Street in Camden. A reception will follow. The event is free and offered by the church as a gift to the community.

The tradition of readings and choral music has been around for over a hundred years. Originally instituted in England, it was designed to call the people into church for reflection and prayer on Christmas Eve. The traditional nine readings recount the Fall, the promise of the Messiah, and the Incarnation, alternating with music that reflects on the reading. For our community, the Choir of OLPH and Joyful Praise will present a mix of music ancient and modern, including traditional Christmas carols sung by all present, interspersed with readings from Scripture and from the writings of the Saints that reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

The choirs are led by Jonathan Eason and William Shepherd and made up of members of the church. The Rosewood Chamber Ensemble is a group of talented musicians from around the Midlands; this year's ensemble includes string quintet, flute and French Horn. Guest artist Renee Kotsovos is an alumna of the University of SC School of Music and has served as soloist with St Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church and St Paul's Lutheran Church in Columbia.

For directions and more information, please call the church secretary, Nancy Romaniello, at 432-6131.