A Festival of Lessons and Carols
with
The Hendrix College Choir
Nancy Fleming, Director
Ansley Fleming, College Organist
Download the Candlelight Carol Program
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
The practice of celebrating a festival of lessons and carols on Christmas Eve was first established at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England, by Bishop E. W. Benson in 1880. In designing his service, Benson drew on the medieval practice of reading a series of nine Scripture lessons on major feast days. The specific sequence of readings that Benson chose was designed to tell the story of redemption, from the fall of man, through the first covenant with Abraham and the prophecies of the coming of a savior, to the birth and incarnation of Jesus.
In 1918 the service was modified and adapted for use at King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England. Through radio and eventually television broadcasts, this version of the ceremony became known throughout the English-speaking world and is now one of the best-loved traditions of the season.
In 1964, Robert McGill, then director of the Hendrix Choir, announced in the student newspaper his intention to transform the existing Hendrix Christmas concert into a service modeled on the King's College ceremony. In 1966 he moved the service from Staples Auditorium to Greene Chapel, and by the early 1970's the choir began taking it on tour. Over time the number of lessons has increased from five to the traditional nine, and of course, the music changes from year to year. Almost since the beginning, however, Once in Royal David's City has been used as the processional hymn at Hendrix, just as it is at King's College.
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The Jonathan and Donna Wolfe Hendrix Choir Endowment Fund was established in 2005 with a generous gift from the Wolfes, both members of the class of '66. The Wolfes encourage other supporters of the choir to join them in making gifts to this endowed fund to enhance the ongoing work of the Hendrix College Choir in perpetuity. Contributions may be sent to the Office of Institutional Advancement (1600 Washington Avenue, Conway, AR 72032) at any time.
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Special thanks to Wayne Clark, Bobby Engeler-Young, Karen Fannin, Karen Griebling, Ephraim McNair, Pamela Owen, Travis Peeples, the student ushers and technicians, the Office of Institutional Advancement, the Office of Communications, the Alumni Office, the staffs of Information Technology, Facilities Management, Public Safety, and Dining Services, and everyone else whose time and talents have contributed to the success of this year's Candlelight Carol Services.