Touted as an evening of song and scripture, “Lessons and Carols” lived up to its festive billing at a well-attended event on Wednesday evening.
The concert — which took place inside the Muriel & Virginia Pless Center for Performing Arts — featured performances by the Long Island Campus Chorus, The Sharps, President Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., and other faculty and staff.
Organized and hosted by Campus Ministry, Student Involvement and the Lessons and Carols Committee, the evening kicked off with a welcome message from Anna Malzone (senior music lecturer and director of the Long Island Campus’ Council for the Arts) and an opening prayer.
Dr. Boomgaarden then joined the Chorus for a performance of Gregorian chant “Rorate Caeli Desuper.”
In between renditions of Christmas classics — including “Carol of the Bells” (Instrumental Ensemble), “In the Bleak Midwinter” (Chorus), and “Silent Night “ (Campus Ministry and the ASL Club) — faculty and staff recited scripture to an audience of family, friends and other members of the St. Joseph’s University, New York community.
Dr. Boomgaarden also composed and performed piano variations on “Adoro te devote,” a 13th-century Eucharistic hymn.
Invited to take part in the final performance, attendees joined in for a three-song medley that featured all of the evening’s performers. Attendees then visited the McGann Conference Center for post-concert refreshments and bonus performances by The Sharps and the Instrumental Ensemble.
“‘Lessons and Carols’ has been a tradition here at St. Joseph’s for many years and we are proud to keep this tradition alive,” said Malzone.
“Many hours of preparation went into this. It was a very special chance for the university community to come together with all of our different talents to make it a beautiful night.”
