Tonight I had the pleasure of going to St. Patrick's for the annual Christmas Concert. The concert was free to the public but there was priority seating to people with special passes, which my roommate, Natalie, happened upon (one of her coworkers is in the St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir!).
The choirs sounded great and there was a perceptible rise in good cheer throughout the evening as Christmas tunes were sung to the hundreds of people gathered. The cathedral was packed to maximum capacity! Every seat was filled and people stood elbow-to-elbow along the entire periphery.
Throughout the concert the church organizers passed around thin white candles to everyone. I was wondering how and when they would be utilized. During the last song, O Holy Night, they dimmed the lights and lit the candles of the people on the aisle, who then passed the flame down the row. As the song continued, the congregation brightened in waves of light slowly converging in the middle.
Three choirs sang: two adult choirs and one children's choir. The children's choir was my favorite because I am endlessly amazing by children with exceptional musical talent. I also found myself in a trance by watching the conductors. They move and express with such passion! What a great profession!
I left St. Patrick's humming Christmas tunes and more excited than ever to be in New York City during the holiday season!
