Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

Monday, December 24, 2007 at 5:00 p.m.
at the Gualala Arts Center

The first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was celebrated on Christmas Eve, 1880, at King's College in Cambridge, England. It was conceived using familiar Christmas carols and verses from the Bible as the readings. The founding organizer of our local service was the late Reverend Robert Andersen of The Sea Ranch. His mission was to bring together all the churches and spiritual followings in our area to celebrate in one place at this time of year.

It was first celebrated locally at the Gualala Community Center. Soon the service outgrew this building and moved to Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church, upon the hill overlooking Gualala. Again, people longing to sing the old familiar Christmas carols started attending this service in droves, moving it to its present venue at the Arts Center in Gualala. This year the event will again be standing-room only on Monday, December 24, 2007, at 5:00 p.m.

Among the accompanists over the years have been the late Tom Cotton, the late Dale Wood, Paula Osborn and presently, Don Krieger. Without these keyboard artists this service could not have been performed to the beauty it has become. Other musicians have offered their voices and instruments performing in the service including the South Coast Choir, the Ernest Bloch Bells, the Recorder Consort, the St. Paul's Chimes, the Anchor Bay Children's Choir, as well as Marsha Lotter and David McCarroll (violin) and Sita Milchev. This year's service will include musical offerings by Sita Milchev and Don Krieger.

Please arrive early for a parking place and a seat. Your generous donations provide assistance for those in need traveling through our area which might include housing, food and travel expenses.

The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA,
is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information, or email info@gualalaarts.org.

Serving the coastal communities of northern Sonoma & southern Mendocino Counties.