About this Event
Come in from the cold and the holiday rush, and spend an evening in the old Christmas story, told through readings and song.
Lessons and Carols began in an English cathedral more than a century ago and became a Christmas tradition around the world. It’s simple and beautiful. A reader steps up with a passage of scripture, then the choir sings, then the whole room joins in a carol. That pattern repeats through the night, and the story moves from darkness and waiting toward the birth of Christ.
The sound is big and varied. Our choir is joined by harp, strings, brass, organ, and percussion, so the evening can move from the shimmer of a harp to the full sound of trumpets and organ. A medieval carol can sit beside a gospel anthem or a song written last year, and the carols you’ve known since childhood are sung by everyone. If you love a good choir, you’ll hear one. If you only want to sing along to something familiar, we’ll have that too.
The evening ends with the lights lowered, candles lit one by one, and a full room singing Silent Night.
You don’t need to be religious, or know when to stand or sit. Everything is printed in the program, and we’re glad to have every voice, from the youngest to the oldest.
Free. Wheelchair accessible. All are welcome. Bring a friend!
Event venue & nearby stays
Church of the Epiphany, 351 E 74th St, New York, United States
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