CT Choral Society Candlelight & Carols Concert in Bethel

Treat yourself (and your family and friends) to a beautiful and uplifting holiday event. The Connecticut Choral Society will be presenting TWO Candlelight and Carols concerts: Saturday, December 19th, 8 pm (Walnut Hill Community Church, Bethel) and Sunday, December 20th, 3 pm (North Congregational Church, Woodbury). Tickets ($25 – adult, $20 – seniors, $15 – youth under 18) can be purchased at www.CtChoralSociety.org, by calling 888-927-2933, or at the door.

The program will have traditional and contemporary holiday and seasonal songs, with the audience invited to join in singing selected carols. In addition, the ensemble will be premiering a new work, “The Solstice Moment,” by Southbury resident Ron Dukenski, who is one of the Connecticut Choral Society’s composers-in-residence. This is his sixth composition for the regionally-acclaimed ensemble. “I’m most grateful to Maestro Eric Knapp for the opportunities I’ve had to write music for the group,” Mr. Dukenski says.

“It’s fitting that the celebration of Christmas is aligned in time with the Solstice,” he notes. “The Ancients saw ‘the longest night’ as a turning point for the change of seasons. For many people of faith, the birth of Jesus - the coming of Light and Life and Love - is the greatest of all turning points.”

“Whether one views it in mystical and theological terms or through the lens of mythical and cultural significance, humankind acknowledges that everything is changed. In these difficult times, our hearts continue to long for change that will usher in joy and peace.”