Arts & Entertainment
A Quarter Century of Christmas Music at All Saints Church
Renee Wilson poses with two concert grand harps, one of which she will play for the 10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service. All are welcome!
Benjamin Wechsler, organist, has long referred to his perch above worshipers at All Saints Episcopal Church in Western Springs, as Heaven.
That lofty space in the church will be one step closer to celestial splendor on Christmas Eve when guest musician Renee Wilson brings her harp to share at the 10:30 p.m. service.
As she has for perhaps the past 25 years, the harpist will play sacred carols during the service. She will begin playing at 10:15 p.m. and end with a candlelight “Silent Night” ceremony.
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Wechsler says the harp music lends an angelic quality to Christmas Eve. Wilson offers a concert arrangement of carols interspersed with readings. “We see her only one night of the year,” Wechsler said, “and it’s one of the highlights of the year. It’s pretty wonderful.”
It must be “pretty wonderful,” for Wilson as well. She turned down four Christmas Eve invitations this holiday seson to return to the All Saints choir loft. “I come for the people,” she said. “I love their appreciation, their enthusiasm, their warmth.”
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Wilson, 50, began playing the harp as a 10-year-old. She continued her education, earning bachelor and master degrees from the University of Northern Iowa. She’d grown up in the Chicago area and returned after graduation. She, husband Pete, a horn player, and their two teenaged children have lived on the south side for 20 years.
Wilson has played with the South Bend (Ind.) and the Grand Rapids (Mich.) symphonies. In December, her free lance activities have taken her to several downtown office lobbies. She is called on to play for weddings, funerals and other celebrations. “I play solo, or I can add a violinist or flutist if requested. She teaches young children and adults and a group of retired women playing lap harps.
The harpist may be reached through her website: harp123.com. Before playing at All Saints, she will be guest musician for the Lithuanian congregation at St. James Lutheran Church in Western Springs. Christmas Day is truly a holiday for Wilson. She saves that day for family.
