Candlelit Carol Concert heralds start of festive season at St Mary’s College
by Educate Magazine December 10, 2019 · All News / Secondary School News
St Mary’s College in Crosby heralded the start of the Christmas season by holding its annual carol concert recently.
Staff, students and their families gathered at a packed SS Peter and Paul Church on Liverpool Road to enjoy the atmospheric service in the 100-year-old building.
The Message of Christmas concert – which was partly candlelit – featured a selection of readings, carols and instrumental and choral performances co-ordinated by the school’s director of music, Andrew Byers, and religious studies teacher Christine Hearty.
The programme included both traditional songs and more modern festive favourites, with contributions from the school’s symphony orchestra, chamber choir and lower school choir.
Highlights of this year’s concert included ‘Christmas Blessing’ by Philip Stopford, sung by the college chamber choir, and ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’, which was performed by the lower school choir, who were accompanied on the piano by St Mary’s head girl, Georgina Duncan.
The concert also featured a beautiful performance of Karl Jenkins’ ‘Benedictus’ by the symphony orchestra and chamber choir.
At the end of the service the evening continued in festive fashion with the serving of mulled wine and mince pies back at the school, which has been celebrating its centenary throughout this year.
St Mary’s College principal, Mike Kennedy, said: “The carol concert is always a very popular event with families, and a really enjoyable way to mark the start of the Christmas season.
“As well as being a lovely event in its own right it is – along with our annual Philharmonic Hall concert and Proms in the Park event – a wonderful showcase for the instrumental and choral skills of our students.
“Once again the event proved to be a great success, helped in no small part by the wonderful setting of SS Peter and Paul Church.
“I would like to pay tribute to all the pupils and staff whose hard work and talent helped to make the service such a first-class musical evening”.
