Manhattan College To Present A Candlelight Christmas Celebration

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan College Singers and Orchestra will host their holiday program “A Festival of Lessons and Carols” on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 4:30 p.m. in the College’s Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.

The program is a unique and festive celebration that combines an eclectic selection of music, prayers and traditional Christmas carols. 

The MC Singers will perform various pieces from baroque contemporary music and spirituals, while the MC Orchestra will perform selections from George F. Handel’s Eulenburg Concerto. The ensembles will combine to present the Gloria from Franz Schubert’s Mass in G and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.

Immediately following the performance, the Singers will process by candlelight onto the Quad and light the College’s Christmas tree. A brass quartet will entertain guests during the lighting. The program will return indoors to Smith Auditorium for a reception, including a visit from Santa Claus and live jazz music.

For more information about this event, please call William Mulligan, Manhattan College’s director of performing arts, at 718-862-7254.       

Members of the media who would like to cover the event can contact Scott Silversten at 718-862-7232 or scott.silversten@manhattan.edu. Manhattan College is located at 242nd Street near Broadway in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, one mile from the Westchester County line and accessible by MTA subway line 1.

Founded in 1853, Manhattan College is an independent, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher learning, offering more than 40 major programs of undergraduate study in the areas of arts, business, education, engineering and science, along with graduate programs in education and engineering. For more information about Manhattan College, visit www.manhattan.edu.