The Denison University sixth annual Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols featuring the Chamber Singers, the Chamber Symphony, Concert Choir and the Women's Choir is set for 8 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 9) in Swasey Chapel. The Rev. Mark Orten, University Chaplain, is the presider for the service. Students, faculty and staff from the Denison community will be participating in the service by providing the readings for the service. Admission is free and open to the public.

The concert will involve audience participation through the singing of traditional Christmas carols. Senior Mary Sheridan and Kevin Wines, affiliate instructor of voice, are the featured soloists. The Concert Choir will perform Beethoven's "Hallelujah" from his "Christ on the Mount of Olives" oratories. They will also sing Pfautsch's "Fanfare for Christmas" in an antiphonal setting with the Chamber Singers.

The three choirs are under the direction of Denison's new coordinator of choral activities, Bonnie Borshay Sneed. Sneed earned a bachelor's degree from Furman University, a master's degree in choral conducting from Southern Methodist, and a doctorate in choral conducting from Michigan State. She also sang with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers for a weeklong workshop performance of Verdi'sRequiem. Sneed is a frequent clinician and adjudicator for high school choral workshops and choral contests, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the American Choral Director's Association, and the Music Educator's National Conference. She has also published multiple articles and reviews in theChoral Journal. Andrew Carlson, associate professor of music, conducts the Chamber Symphony.

The Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols was inaugurated in 2000 to serve as both the Christmas Chapel for the University and as a seasonal gift to the citizens of. This is one event during the year when students and Granville residents join to actually make the music as a community.

In 2006, Sneed will be conducting the Denison University Chamber Singers and Orchestra in an eight-day tour of Italy, including performances in Florence, Milan and at the Duomo in Florence.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- The Denison University sixth annual Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols; 8 p.m., Friday (Dec. 9) in Swasey Chapel. Free and open to the public. Please call (740) 587-6220 for more information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575