A SPARKLING CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
The
Sanctuary was a magical place Sunday afternoon, December 19. Everything
went beautifully at this year’s Christmas Pageant. All the children
and young adults performed their lines well and emanated confidence.
The costumes were beautiful and realistic, bordering on the lavish. The
music, as usual, was enchanting. Opening with the Recorder Prelude with
narrators, choir and trumpets, a joyful tone prevailed.
Scenes followed
seamlessly and orchestrated movement and staging by Pageant director
Kelly Carrol kept the audience’s rapt attention. Some scenes
took place at the high pulpit; the entrance of the Angels and the parade
of the three Kings, their heralds and retinues proceeded from the back
of the Sanctuary; and the Manger Scene was set at the chancel where the
altar normally is.
According
to Melanie Mashburn, Director of Religious Education at All Souls, the
producer of the Pageant, 80 or 90 children participated, including
kids from our Pre-Kindergarten (4-year-olds) through members of the
High School Seminar. Rehearsals took five weeks and two Saturdays, and
there
were as many as 40 parent volunteers. Marilyn Collins and Kathleen
Taylor coordinated a cadre of volunteer seamstresses. Melanie summed
up her
response
to the Christmas Pageant: “It is amazing how it all pulls together.
It is so interesting to watch each year as students make the transition
from angel to shepherd to one of the Three Kings. It’s like a rite
of passage.”
The Sanctuary
rang with Christmas Carol favorites such as “It Came
Upon A Midnight Clear,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Hark
the Herald Angels Sing,” and “Silent Night.” The exquisite
music of All Souls Minister of Music Walter Klauss and the Choir, the Children’s
Chorus under the direction of Pageant Music Director David Freiman, and
Orff instructor Lisa Diomande set the perfect tone for the holiday season.
Candle-lighting
Ceremony participants were eighth and ninth graders, members of the High
School Seminar and Church School graduates. The
festivities ended with “Joy to the World” and “Gloria” played
by the Orff-Keetman musicians.
Shepherds sing joyfully. |
A Host of Angels |
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