Over the final three days of term the College community, together with families and friends, gathered in St Luke’s Chapel to celebrate Christmas.
The Chapel was beautifully decorated by the parent flower team under the superb direction of Poppy Piggot. Candles were lit, lights were dimmed and the packed congregation settled into silence as each of the three Carol Services started in the traditional manner with the lone vocalist singing, unaccompanied, the first verse of Once in Royal David’s City.
The Chapel Choir, superbly conducted by our Director of Music, Paul Johnson-Hyde, then led the congregation in what was a feast of Christmas music.
The Senior School Carol Services on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, the anthems were:
- Good Christian Men Rejoice by J M Neale and Philip Ledger
- Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by Elizabeth Poston
- For Unto Us a Child is Born from the Messiah by G F Handel
- The Hymn to the Virgin by Benjamin Britten
- Make We Joy Now by Ian Assersohn
- And O Holy Night by Adolphe Adam
- We Three Kings by J H Hopkins and Martin Neary
Between the anthems and congregational carols, the nine traditional Christmas Bible readings were read by members of the College community ranging from Middle Fourth through to the Head of School and Headmaster.
On Friday, the Lower School attended their Carol Service. Our Chapel Choir sang a selection of the anthems sang earlier in the week.
In addition, the Lower School Consort Choir sang Listen to the Message by David Liff and Suo Gân arranged by Sebastian Johns. Members of the Lower School community, ranging from the third form to the Head of Lower School, read the Christmas Bible readings.
The College’s new Senior Chaplain, Canon Andrew Haviland, commented: “All three Carol Services were fabulous. The range of music was stunning and performed exquisitely. All the readers were clear and confident. And the chapel looked wonderful. It was the perfect way to celebrate the good news of the Christmas message.”
