Wed 12/7 @ noon
For those who are tired of overplayed holiday pop standards like “The Little Drummer Boy” and yet another Messiah singalong, British composer Benjamin Britten’s 1942 Ceremony of Carols is a welcome change of pace. The eleven-part song cycle is based on medieval carols in archaic English with flourishes of Latin, written for female (or children’s) voices and harp.
Announcing itself and wrapping up with the plainchant-style “Hodie Christus Natus Est,” it wends its way through tunes like the bright “Wolcom Yole!” and loving tributes to Christ’s mother, “There Is No Rose” and “As Dew in Aprille.”
The women of the Trinity Cathedral Choir have made a performance of Ceremony of Carols their own holiday tradition. It’s part of the free weekly Brownbag concerts series. Bring your lunch and enjoy — and the Trinity Messiah sing takes place at NEXT week’s Brownbag concert to wrap up the series’ fall season.
Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115