Pasadena Presbyterian Church presents its 68th annual Candlelight and Carols

Pasadena Presbyterian Church will presents its 68th annual Candlelight and Carols holiday concert on Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in the church’s sanctuary in the Playhouse district of downtown Pasadena.

The program, the third event on the church’s Friends of Music at PPC concert series, is free of admission charges (a freewill offering will be taken). Free parking is available and the church is fully accessible to the mobility-impaired.

Since it began in 1945 Candlelight and Carols, which mixes sacred and secular music, has become a Pasadena holiday tradition. This year’s program will feature the Kirk Choir (the principal choral ensemble of the church’s English-language worship service), Trinity Choir (Korean-language worship), Van Etten Handbell Choir and Pasadena Singers (an auditioned small choral ensemble), along with the Rainbow Choir and Carol Choir (multi-language children’s ensembles). There will also be plenty of audience caroling. The choral music will be accompanied by harp and brass ensemble, along with Meaghan Smith and Timothy Howard on the church’s massive Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. The evening will be concluded with a festive cookies and wassail reception.

Other musical events at PPC during the holiday season are the annual “Lessons and Carols” worship service on Dec. 16, which features scripture readings, congregational carols and choral anthems that tell the story of Jesus’ birth and life; a 4 p.m. Christmas Eve family worship service featuring special choral music by the Rainbow and Carol Choirs; and a traditional Christmas Eve candlelight communion service featuring music by the Kirk Choir, Van Etten Handbell Choir, and organ.

Other events on the Friends of Music series are:
• Dec. 29: Schubert’s Winterreise. Tenor Micheal Smith, and pianist Mark Robson will perform this magnificent song cycle.
• Jan. 26: The Modern Brass Quintet. PPC’s Ensemble-in-Residence, will present a 20th anniversary concert.
• Feb. 23: Meaghan King, PPC’s new assistant organist, plays her first recital on the church’s 111-rank Aeolian-Skinner sanctuary organ.
• March 29: 16th annual Good Friday Devotional Concert. The featured work will be Duruflé’s Requiem, with the Kirk Choir, soloists and Friends of Music Orchestra.
• May 11: Timothy Howard, organist, plays his annual recital at PPC.
• June 1: Jazz for the City, the annual close to the FOM season.

The church also sponsors its weekly “Music at Noon” series of concerts featuring an eclectic mix of local, national and international artists from 12:10-12:40 p.m. each Wednesday.

About Pasadena Presbyterian Church
Founded in 1875, Pasadena Presbyterian Church is the oldest congregation in the city. It continues to be a leader in the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination as three languages (English, Korean and Spanish) combine to worship, study and serve as one integrated church. Music has been an integral part of the church’s outreach to the community since Dr. Howard Swan became the church’s music director in 1940. The church currently has hundreds of people participating in nine different choral and instrumental ensembles throughout the year.

 

Friends of Music at PPC concert series

68th annual Candlelight and Carols concert of holiday music

Featuring Kirk Choir, Trinity Choir, Rainbow Choir, Carol Choir, Van Etten Handell Choir, harp, brass ensemble and organ

Saturday, December 8, 2012

7:30 p.m.

Pasadena Presbyterian Church

585 E. Colorado Blvd. (at Madison Ave.), Pasadena

Free admission (freewill offering taken)

Information: 626/793-2191

Free parking; mobility-impaired accessible