Wayland Academy to Host 58th Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols

(Beaver Dam) Wayland Academy’s 58th Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols is Sunday. The show is a non-denominational music service featuring singing of Christmas carols, hymns, and choral music performed by Wayland’s students and faculty. Wayland Academy’s Choir Director Andrew Estervig explains the history of Lessons and Carols. He says the service started in 1880 in England at the Truro Cathedral. King’s College then picked up the program in 1918 as a response to World War 1. Estervig says they wanted to create a service to help those suffering from the war. He says it 1919 it was revised to the format that Wayland follows to this day.

The show includes performances by the concert choir, instrumentalists, a benediction, and student readings. Music Teacher Kristie Estervig says there are nine lessons from scripture will be read by students will varied cultural backgrounds. She says Wayland boards students from all over the world who will read some of the lessons in English and some in their native language. Estervig says hearing the messages in different languages gives a sense of community and unity throughout the world with the Christmas story.

The service will be held on December 11th at 4pm in the Kimberly Chapel on the Wayland Academy campus located at 101 North University Avenue. It is free and open to the public. Masks are required to attend the performance. Parking is available on University Avenue, on Franklin Street, and in the Field House parking lots.