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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 rousing choruses. The second half turns to American music drawn from diverse traditions: driving spirituals and ethereal hymns, paired with timeless Christmas themes. The concert closes with the Chorale’s signature candlelit Silent Night.

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Interim conductor Paul Rardin brings a lifetime of acclaimed choral leadership shaped by his years at Temple University, the University of Michigan, Towson University, and the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, among others. 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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