Dr. Stanley Workman is ready to welcome the community for the 30th anniversary of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Service, which he brought to the community after accepting a position at Second Presbyterian.
“Arriving at a 30th anniversary feels great! I celebrated my 30th anniversary of accepting the Director of Music position back in August, and this special musical event at Christmas was part of that first year, and has continued ever since, with the exception of 2020, for obvious reasons,” Workman explained.
According to Workman, it first began as a ‘special musical worship service,’ occurring on one of the Sundays before Christmas. In 2000, the church moved the event to a weekday evening in order to share this event with the community.
“The response from the community has been wonderfully supportive, and it has been very well-attended,” Workman said. “The people who attend this event will first experience the visual beauty of the festively decorated sanctuary of Second Presbyterian Church, and then the beautiful sounds from the choir and orchestra.”
The service is the traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Service, which originated from King’s College, Cambridge in 1918. The service offers scripture lessons from the Old and New Testament, alternating with carols and anthems of the season.
“I serve as the conductor of the choir and orchestra, which numbers more than 75 players and singers. The choir is made up of the Second Presbyterian Chancel Choir, augmented with choral singers and former voice students from our community,” Workman explained. The orchestra brings together players from Cincinnati, Columbus, Charleston, Huntington, Lexington, and from our local community.”
Pastor Rev. Allison Bauer will serve as the worship leader and reader of the scripture lessons.
The event is free and open to the public.
The concert is December 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, 801 Waller Street.
Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
