The First Annual Christmas Carol Sing Along with the Archdiocesan Choir was a great success. On the third day of the Feast, over 130 people gathered for prayer, tasty treats, fellowship and communal singing. The evening began with daily vespers served by Fr. David Subu of St. Mary Orthodox Church in Falls Church, VA with His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon in attendance. The responses were sung by members of the Archdiocesan Choir. After a welcome from His Beatitude, everyone convened in the hall for holiday treats and drinks provided by the choir members. We began by singing pre-festal hymns, both liturgical and not, and took a musical journey to the Nativity. The expectations were high and everyone did a little sight-reading, usually followed by much laughter and applause for the effort. The well-known carols were the clear favorites, filling the room with exuberant singing. Throughout the evening, the sing along was interrupted by mini performances from the Archdiocesan Choir and choirs from local parishes. What a treat that was! The joy in the room was palpable as every voice, from the youngest to the oldest, joined in song to welcome the newborn King.

At the end of the evening, His Beatitude warmly greeted everyone, thanked his choir, and briefly spoke of the importance of singing as worship, pointing out that we are all created for this task.

We are grateful to everyone who joined us. Your support, through the purchase of tickets and donations, helps the Archdiocesan Choir to continue this vital work of the Church. If you’d like to help support the choir, visit archdiocesanchoir.org/donate and make a tax-deductible donation today!

The Archdiocesan Choir is actively preparing to sing for the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Saturday, January 21st at St. Nicholas Cathedral celebrating the 10th anniversary of Metropolitan Tikhon’s enthronement as Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of all America and Canada. Keep an eye out as more opportunities for worship, education, and fellowship are shared!