Contact: David West (west@alpha.nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

11/26/2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES- The Northwestern Chamber Choir will present its annual Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols Monday Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Francis Cabrini Church in Alexandria and Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Natchitoches. Admission is free and open to the public.

During the Alexandria service, Northwestern's Choir will be joined by the Pineville High School Choir. Accompaniment for the service will be provided by Dr. Mary DeVille, music director at St. Francis Cabrini and Northwestern senior Corey Candler.

Dr. Burt Allen will direct the Northwestern choir. The Pineville High choir will be directed by Brenda Rudd.

This is the 11th consecutive year in which the NSU choir has presented this service. In 1991, the service was first held at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and alternated between Alexandria and Natchitoches for eight years. Since 1999, the choir has presented the program at both St. Francis Cabrini Church and Immaculate Conception Church in Natchitoches. This marks the first appearance of the Pineville High School Chamber Choir in this program. They will perform alone on some selections and join the NSU choir on several numbers.

According to Allen, the Lessons and Carols Service is based upon the century-old tradition established at Kings College, Cambridge, England, where it is performed every Christmas Eve to standing room only crowds and broadcast worldwide. It consists
of nine lessons, readings for both the Old and New Testament of the Bible, all related to the Advent and birth of Christ. Each Lesson is followed by the choir singing one or more carols whose text relates to each of the readings. During the carols, altar servers light a variety of candles which remain lit throughout the service. Gradually, the church is transformed from darkness into light as the Service concludes in a festive recessional.

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