The Northwest Choirs presents A Festival of Lessons & Carols 2020 | Virtual Performance

A Northwest Holiday Tradition | A Festival of Lessons & Carols
Northwest Boychoir | Vocalpoint! Seattle
Joseph Crnko, Music Director
December 2020 | Virtual Performance

To support The Northwest Choirs, visit NWChoirs.org/give.

For more than 40 years, the Northwest Boychoir has presented A Festival of Lessons & Carols as the centerpiece of its holiday season. Beginning with a single performance in 1978, A Festival of Lessons & Carols has become an eight-concert series presented to thousands of residents throughout the Puget Sound region.

The concert is patterned after the Christmas Eve observance at King's College in Cambridge, England. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s performance is presented virtually. We are so grateful to our performers and their families. Hours of hard work in homes across the Puget Sound region went into this performance.

You can support our choristers by ensuring the legacy of the Northwest Choirs. Visit https://www.nwchoirs.org/give
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Do you know a boy who loves to sing? Northwest Boychoir Auditions for boys ages 6-8 years old. No prior music experience necessary: https://www.nwchoirs.org/auditions/
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A Festival of Lessons & Carols 2020 | Virtual Program:

Once In Royal David's City | arr. Joseph Crnko
Caroling, Caroling | arr. Joseph Crnko
Good King Wenceslas | arr. David Willcocks

First Lesson: Genesis III: “God announces, in the Garden of Eden, that the seed of woman shall bruise the serpent’s head”

Wolcum Yole | Benjamin Britten

Second Lesson: Genesis XXII: “God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”

Adam Lay Ybounden | Frank Ferko

Third Lesson: Isaiah IX: “Christ’s birth and kingdom are foretold by Isaiah”

Nativity Carol | John Rutter

Fourth Lesson: Micah V: “The prophet Micah foretells the glory of little Bethlehem”

Away In The Manger | arr. Philip Ledger

Fifth Lesson: St. Luke I: “The Angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Susanni | arr. Alice Parker/Robert Shaw

Sixth Lesson: St. Matthew I: “St. Matthew tells of the birth of Jesus”

Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella | arr. Alice Parker/Robert Shaw

Seventh Lesson: St. Luke II: “The Shepherds go to the Manger”

Quem Pastores Laudavere | arr. John Rutter

Eighth Lesson: St. Matthew II: “The wise men are led by the star to Jesus”

We Three Kings | arr. Joseph Crnko

Ninth Lesson: St. John I: “St. John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation”

When Christ Was Born Of Mary Free | arr. Joseph Crnko

O Holy Night | arr. Joseph Crnko

The Northwest Boychoir’s musical sophistication, rich tonal quality, and dedication to exacting perfection have established its reputation as one of the nation’s premier children’s choirs. Along with Vocalpoint! Seattle, the Northwest Boychoir has trained thousands of young singers for more than 45 years, and more significantly, shaped the lives of our region’s youth by teaching important lessons in personal commitment and the value of teamwork. Led by Joseph Crnko, now in his 36th year as Music Director, the Choir’s staff of professional musicians and educators is engaged in the teaching of a rigorous curriculum that trains young singers, 6-18 years old, to be fully-skilled musicians who sing at the highest professional level, read music fluently, and perform in professional settings with confidence.

For more than 30 years, the Choirs have maintained a close working relationship with the Seattle Symphony and participate annually in the performance of great choral works. Recent performances include Vivaldi’s Gloria, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Stravinsky’s demanding Perséphone., and Debussy’s Nocturnes, conducted by Maestro Ludovic Morlot. The Choirs often collaborate with Music of Remembrance and other local arts organizations.

The choir also maintains an active recording schedule, and has an impressive list of movie and video game soundtrack credits. Officially designated the “Singing Ambassadors” of Washington State, the Northwest Boychoir has toured both nationally and internationally.
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0:00 Introduction
0:56 Once In Royal David’s City
5:30 Caroling Caroling
7:22 Good King Wenceslas
11:45 Wolcum Yole
14:30 Adam Lay Ybounden
17:15 Nativity Carol
22:21 Away In A Manger
27:04 Susanni
30:21 Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella
33:46 Quem Pastores Laudavere
37:48 We Three Kings
42:18 When Christ Was Born of Mary Free
44:34 O Holy Night
49:00 Credits