Tales to be told with community carols

EVERYONE is invited to join in the Christmas cheer as part of the Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ the King’s annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

Cathedral dean Father Michael Davies said the event, which is a traditional Anglican service, will showcase local talent in between scripture readings.

“As well as the Cathedral Occasional Choir under the direction of Lyndell Allen and organist Leigh Askew, we have all these other groups that will come in,” he said.

“It’ll be a musical extravaganza. We have the Yarrowee Players which are a group of recorders, and the Creswick Brass Band. We’ve got some Solomon Islanders too from Ararat who are sort of a men’s choir.

“It’ll all take place within the traditional Nine Lessons and Carols format with the nine scripture readings from the Bible which tell the story of Christmas, the birth of Jesus as foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament.

“In between those readings are a series of Christmas carols, a musical item from the Solomon Islanders and the Brass Band will support the choir as musical accompaniment.”

Performers with the Ballarat Central Uniting Church Choir, as well as VOX, and Ballarat Voices will also take part in the event.

With a capacity for about 300 people, Father Davies said the event is open to all attendees regardless of religion or faith.

“Although it’s a religious event in that there’s Bible readings, it’s sort of a hybrid,” he said. “We really want to plug this as a community event.

“It’s a community celebration where people who are not necessarily Christian believers but are familiar with the Nine Lessons and Carols like to come along because it’s such an uplifting occasion musically.”

The Nine Lessons and Carols will take place from 7pm on Sunday 17 December at 49 Lydiard St South.