An Ancient Carol – December 2026
The past can tell us about our future
Looking to the past offers us words penned by those who have lived through hardship and uncertainty. These voices have endured across time and trails, and if we know how to listen, they continue to speak with meaning. Passed down through centuries and embedded in our collective consciousness, these texts offer insight into the forces that sustained and inspired earlier generations, and invite us to listen more carefully in our own time.
At the heart of this program is A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten, an enamoring, ritual-like work for choir, harp, and soprano solo. Performed by the 80-voice Oakville Choral with harp and soprano Ineza Mugisha, Britten’s setting of medieval English texts speaks with striking clarity to the present moment. The harp’s sound threads throughout the program as a symbol of continuity and gentleness, evoking a medieval aura of storytelling and grounding us in something deeper than the conflicts of the present day.
The texts featured in this program remind us that uncertainty is not a new human experience. Music from the Renaissance to the modern day responds to ancient poetry and sacred words, revealing how each generation has turned to the past to better understand the way forward. Rather than offering easy answers, Ancient Words creates space for reflection by asking what we can learn from those who lived through their own divided worlds. Presented in December 2026 at St. John’s United Church, this concert offers a shared experience of listening and renewal: voices joined together, carrying forward lessons we still need.
Part 1: Listen
Carols from Carols for Choir (The Angel Gabriel, In Dulci Jubilo, Coventry, Adam Lay Ybounden, Noel Nouvelet)
Praetorius – Lo How A Rose
Part 2: Reflect
Benjamin Britten – A Ceremony of Carols
Part 3: Change
Abbie Betinis – In the Bleak Midwinter
Steven Paulus – Three Nativity Carols
Michael Trotta – Love’s Pure Light
Instruments: oboe, harp, piano
Soloist: Soprano
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