The 64th annual Trinity College Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols will be held on Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.
The annual Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols marks the beginning of the holiday season for the Greater Hartford community. Through the reading of nine lessons, each followed by the singing of a carol, the Christmas story is recounted and celebrated. This service is offered to all as a moment of comfort and hope.
No tickets are required to attend in-person at 4:00 or 7:00 p.m.
A freewill offering will be taken. To contribute to the offering, visit this link. Enter your offering in the gift amount box, and enter “Chaplain’s Discretionary Fund” in the designation comment box (donations are collected and dispersed from this account). Input your personal information. At the bottom of the screen, select your payment option (credit card or PayPal).
The Chapel Singers
Trinity College Gospel Choir
Ellen Dickinson, carillon
Vaughn Mauren ’07, organ
Christopher Houlihan ’09, director of music
The Reverend Marcus George Halley, chaplain
Featuring musical offerings from Madison Thompson ’25, Chris Yi ’26, The Chapel Singers, and Trinity College Gospel Choir. The 4:00 p.m. service was live-streamed and is available to watch.
The 2021 Festival marked the in-person return of this beloved tradition following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 4:00 p.m. service was live-streamed and included musical offerings from The Chapel Singers, the Trinity College Gospel Choir, and student Chapel organists.
New recordings featuring The Chapel Singers; Zachary Schurman ’22, assistant Chapel organist; Ellen Dickinson, college carillonneur; and Christopher Houlihan, college organist and director of Chapel music.
A complete recording of the 2019 festival, with program and photos. In celebration of ‘Women at the Summit: 50 Years of Coeducation at Trinity College,’ the music program featured carols by women composers and poets, and the lessons were read by Trinity women— faculty, staff, administrators, students, and alumnae.
The Chapel Singers recorded music from the 2018 Festival of Lessons and Carols, including the premier of Robert Edward Smith’s setting of ‘Adam Lay Ybounden.’
Music and photos from the 2017 Festival. The music this year was directed for the first time by Christopher Houlihan ’09, newly appointed college organist and director of Chapel music.
Music and photos from the 2016 Festival. This year’s Lessons and Carols featured a choir of nearly 60 Chapel Singers alumni and the premier of Logos by Patrick Greene ’07. John Rose, director and organist
