(Beaver Dam) Wayland Academy’s 59th annual Festival of Lessons and Carols is this weekend. The show is a non-denominational music service that features singing of Christmas carols, hymns, and choral music performed by Wayland 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 performance includes readings and lessons from scripture in different languages. This year, Wayland’s student body represents nearly 30 countries. The service is free and open to the public.
Parking is available on University Avenue, on Franklin Street, and in the Janik Field House parking lots. The Festival of Lessons and Carols is Sunday (December 10th) at 6pm in Kimberly Chapel, located on the north end of Wayland’s campus in Beaver Dam.
