Fresno Pacific University musical ensembles will celebrate Christmas with “A Festival of Lessons & Carols.”
The service will be at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Sunday, December 2, 2018, in First Presbyterian Church, 1540 M Street, Fresno. Tickets are $10 for general audiences and $5 for students high school age and younger as well as members of the FPU community, including alumni card holders. Proceeds benefit the FPU music program. Reservations are encouraged, and may be made online by clicking on the event listing at fresno.edu/events/music.
“Lessons & Carols” tells of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah and the birth of Jesus in nine lessons beginning in the Garden of Eden—with “O Come O Come Emmanuel”—and ending with the birth of Christ—with “O Holy Night.” Readings come from Genesis, the prophetic books of the Bible and the Gospels and the order is based on a Church of England service first performed in 1918 at King’s College, Cambridge University.
FPU ensembles will be the Chamber Choir, Women’s Chorale, Men’s Chorus, Crosswind vocal/instrumental troupe, the San Joaquin Chorale community choir and the Pacific Bronze hand bell choir. The congregation will also sing selections.
Ensembles are directed by Bethany Lynn Alvey, D.M.A., FPU director of choral activities (choirs); Daniel Bishop, M.A., M.M., adjunct instructor (San Joaquin Chorale); Patricia Cota, M.A., adjunct instructor (Pacific Bronze); and Melita Mudri-Zubacz, M.A., M.M., adjunct music faculty (Crosswind). Walter Saul, D.M.A., professor of music, will play organ and Matthew Horton, accompanist, will play piano.
For more information on this and other FPU music events, email music@fresno.edu or call 559-453-2267.