A Ceremony of Carols

Trinity Youth Chorus’s beloved annual Christmas performance is a celebration of faith, family, and community. 

Choristers in scarlet robes gather at the entrance to St. Paul’s Chapel, a colonial-era sanctuary in the heart of lower Manhattan. Christmas greenery hangs from the gallery and candles flicker. The young singers’ faces, framed by crisp white collars, are bright with anticipation as they wait for their cue. Then, a single chord from a harpist breaks the stillness. The choristers step forward, and their voices rise in unison as they sing an ancient Gregorian chant, “Hodie, Christus natus es.” Today, Christ is born. 

So begins A Ceremony of Carols, a beloved annual tradition of the Trinity Youth Chorus, a diverse ensemble of young people from across New York City who take part in Trinity Church’s free music education program. “They are so passionate about this piece – it’s just all joy and energy,” said Peyton Marion, director of Music Education at Trinity Church and conductor for the performance on December 14. 

A Ceremony of Carols was written by the English composer Benjamin Britten in 1942 and has become a popular Christmas tradition in Anglican churches worldwide. It has its roots in the Anglican tradition of Lessons and Carols, a service of readings and music that tell the story of Christ’s birth. Britten’s version uses text taken from a collection of medieval poems. With only harp and voices, young singers convey the sweeping range of emotions woven into the Christmas narrative — despair for a broken world, a mother’s tender love, the possibility of renewal, the promise of redemption. “There are parts that are very soft, like a lullaby. There are parts that feel like we're charging into battle,” Marion said. “You get such a range of colors and expressions.” 

Through its richness and variety, Britten’s work has become a story that Trinity's choristers continually rediscover as they grow. Originally written only for higher voices, in the Anglican boys’ choir tradition, Trinity’s version uses a fuller arrangement that incorporates soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, ensuring that singers with changed voices can continue to participate. By the time they graduate as seniors in high school, students have explored different parts, sung solos, and experienced the breadth of the piece.  

“​​It's really exciting that we're able to showcase all our students as they move through their journeys, as their voices change, and as they explore different parts of their artistry,” Marion said. 

This year, the Chorus is adding another composer’s work to the concert: Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on Christmas Carols. The new piece, a collection of English folk carols, was incorporated to give tenor and bass voices a chance to shine. 

This inclusive and welcoming spirit has made A Ceremony of Carols a cherished experience for many parents, including Amy Roy, whose two children grew up performing in it. Her younger child, Knox Roy, who joined Trinity Youth Chorus as a five-year-old soprano, has been awarded a tenor solo in Fantasia this year. Over time, Amy Roy has seen how the concert’s themes of renewal, hope, and redemption have shaped her family’s experience of the holiday. “Christmas has become very commercialized. But this concert is so intimate and meaningful,” she said. “I think rehearsing and performing A Ceremony of Carols helped inspire in my kids a deeper sense of the meaning of Advent.” 

For its audiences, the concert provides a wonderful warmth and simplicity — a chance to be still and get closer to the heart of Christmas. “The holidays, especially in New York, can be so busy and hectic,” Marion said. “This performance is an opportunity to just sit and listen, to let music wash over you and enjoy thinking about what Christmas means for you and your family.” 

Hear Trinity Youth Chorus perform highlights from A Ceremony of Carols on WQXR’s YouTube channel December 7 and stay tuned for a full recording of their December 14 concert at St. Paul’s Chapel.