The Boys and Schola of St. Paul's Choir present “Christmas in Harvard Square”: a festive and heartwarming celebration of the holiday season.
Cambridge, MA, December 8 and 15, 2024 — A well-known holiday tradition in Harvard Square, The Boys and Schola of St. Paul’s Choir will perform a concert of seasonal Christmas music on December 8 and 15 at 3:00 pm in St. Paul’s Parish. With a choir of over fifty singers composed of boys from St. Paul’s Choir School and professional singers from the greater Boston area, the audience will be treated to an unforgettable experience in one of Boston’s finest acoustic settings.
The program will feature works from a variety of time periods, countries, and instrumentations, accompanied by the Back Bay Brass, percussion, organ, and harp. In addition to traditional favorites, including Theodore Marier’s beloved setting of “Silent Night,” the musical selections will include timeless choral Christmas standards such as Britten’s “Hymn to the Virgin,” Pearsall’s “In dulci jubilo,” and Victoria’s eight-part “Ave Maria”.
“Christmas is a particularly magical season for choirs, offering an incredible wealth of carols—tunes and texts from across the globe, shaped and reshaped over centuries,” says Brandon Straub, Director of Music. Arrangements of the “Huron Carol” and “Gabriel’s Message” are among the personal favorites he brings to his first year programming the concert.
“This year’s Christmas in Harvard Square celebrates a wide range of these beloved carols, capturing the wonder, mystery, and joy of the Christmas story. From rich a cappella arrangements to antiphonal choir with brass to boys’ voices with harp – the entire program will sound especially glorious in our space.”
Adjacent to the stunning and historic St. Paul’s Parish, St. Paul’s Choir School is the only all-boys Catholic choir School in the U.S. The choristers have a long history of collaborating with a number of professional Boston-based ensembles, most recently singing Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in October 2024. Christmas in Harvard Square has become a well-loved annual Christmas tradition, as it gives audiences the rare opportunity to hear the boy choristers in concert, and to even sing along! Throughout the concert, there are various opportunities for audience participation by singing favorite carols such as “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World”. For those interested in learning more about the Choir School, there will be a small reception of cookies and hot chocolate to speak with the Head of School, Patrick Moran, and Director of Admissions, Julia Janowski.
Christmas in Harvard Square is a special experience unique to the Boston area that should not be missed! Tickets are available now online on Eventbrite via this link.
For more details, please contact Julia Janowski, Director of Admissions and Music Administrator, at jjanowski@saintpaulschoirschool.us.
About Saint Paul’s Choir School
Since 1963, Saint Paul’s Choir School has formed and educated boys in the rich music tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. The Choir School seeks to embrace the great cathedral school tradition as it unites a rigorous musical and academic curriculum with its Catholic faith and moral tradition, preparing each student to grow and flourish in a dynamic and changing world.
About St. Paul’s Parish
St. Paul's Parish, located in the heart of Harvard Square, is a historic Catholic church known for its commitment to musical and liturgical excellence. Established over a century ago, it serves as both a spiritual center for the local community and an architectural landmark, with its stunning Italian Romanesque design. The parish is home to the renowned Boys of St. Paul's Choir School, whose rich musical tradition enhances the parish’s vibrant liturgical life and attracts visitors from all over. St. Paul’s remains a vital institution, fostering faith, music, and education in one of Cambridge's most cherished settings.
Event Details:
Date: Sunday, December 8 and 15
Time: 3:00pm
Location: St. Paul’s Parish, Harvard Square
Tickets: Available Here
For press inquiries, please contact: Julia Janowski, Director of Admissions and Music Administrator at jjanowski@saintpaulschoirschool.us or (906) 361-2149.
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