The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols alternates between nine Scripture readings and music illustrating through Word and song the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah and finally leading to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. While the service can trace its origins as far back as 1880 at Truro Cathedral in England, it has achieved its greatest popularity and awareness today by the choir of King’s College, Cambridge. King’s College Choir began presenting it yearly in 1918 on Christmas Eve gaining greater awareness worldwide when they began televising it on the BBC in 1954.
The St. Peter Cathedral Adult Choir will perform several musical selections including a short work entitled Of Christés Birth by David H. Williams accompanied by harpist, Julia Jamieson. Other works include Christmas and Advent Carols and the long-held tradition of singing “Once in Royal David’s City” as the procession and opening of the service.
We do hope you are able to join us for this very special and prayerful service at St. Peter Cathedral.
About Julia Jamieson
Julia Kay Jamieson is an energetic performer, dedicated teacher, composer and award-winning harpist. Julia has been a featured concert artist, clinician and composer for events including the Canadian International Summer Harp Institute, the Festival de Cuerdas in Puerto Rico, and the annual Harp Day in Eugene, Oregon. She has been commissioned to write several harp ensemble pieces including Sea for the Illinois Summer Harp Class and Creatures for the High Cascade Harp Retreat. An advocate for new music, she is the principal harpist of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony. She is the author of The Young at Harp, a method book for beginning harpists and has given improvisation, comping, and arranging workshops throughout the U.S. and Canada. Julia studied with Jocelyn Chang (Cleveland, OH), Susann McDonald (Indiana University) and Ann Yeung (University of Illinois). She teaches from her studio in Champaign, Illinois as well as the University of Illinois Springfield. Julia serves as chair of both the American Harp Society Music Education Auditions and Evaluations Committee and the Young Composers Project.