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Candlelight Christmas

Friday, December 18, 2026, 7:30 pm

Calvin and Janet High Center for Worship and

Performing Arts, Messiah University, Mechanicsburg

Saturday, December 19, 2026, 7:30 pm

Market Square Presbyterian Church, Harrisburg

Sunday, December 20, 2026, 4:00 pm

Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren, Elizabethtown

The Susquehanna Chorale’s beloved Candlelight Christmas concert returns, pairing old holiday favorites and carol sing-alongs with music by brilliant contemporary composers. The first half centers on Respighi’s Laud to the Nativity — a hauntingly beautiful work featuring soprano, mezzo, and tenor soloists with a woodwind ensemble, blending plain-chant, pastoral melody, and even Indian raga. The second half turns to American music drawn from diverse traditions: driving spirituals, ethereal hymns, paired around timeless Christmas themes. Highlights include selections from the acclaimed Alfred Burt Carols and James Taylor’s arrangement of “Some Children See Him,” before the concert closes with the Chorale’s signature candle-lit Silent Night.

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Interim conductor Dr. Paul Rardin brings a lifetime of acclaimed choral leadership shaped by his years at Temple University, the University of Michigan, Towson University, the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, and beyond. His artistry, clarity of gesture, and deep commitment to singers have made him one of the nation’s most respected conductors and educators.

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