Our New Normal, Volume XXI

That’s when he organized the school’s first presentation of Lessons and Carols, an annual event first held in the solemn, dignified confines of All Saints Episcopal Church late in the afternoon of the final day of classes before winter break.

The service had its origin in Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England, c.1050, and includes hymns as well as nine “lessons” read, in Collegiate’s service, by seven students, a faculty member selected by the senior class, and the head of school. A clergyman serves as officiant.

Martin, who taught history in the old Boys Middle School, described the ambiance of the moment in almost reverent terms: A mystic darkness loomed over the church walls as dusk crept nearer. A lambent glow of color radiated from the narrow, stained glass windows, softly illuminating the pews. A single treble voice of a boy chorister broke the silence, followed by a crescendo of 400 male voices who joined in singing “Once in Royal David’s City.”

Over the years, Collegiate’s Lessons and Carols service has evolved, but it’s never lost the team aspect of the preparation and staging or the power and import that’s made it a special and moving part of the institution’s culture.

The venue changed in the late ‘80’s to Second Baptist Church with occasional stops at River Road Church, Baptist and Derbyshire Baptist when conflicts arose, and last year the service, like so many other events, fell victim to Covid protocols.

Today marks the 47th rendition of the service Martin brought to Collegiate but with numerous changes: some slight, some quite noticeable. So welcome, friends, to the latest installment of Our New Normal, a column which reflects, hopefully, the spirit, ingenuity, and adaptability of the folks who call North Mooreland Road home.

In the final stages of preparation, I checked in at the Oates Theater, this year’s venue, with several of the principals, the first of whom was Connie Tuttle, who complies the program and conducts the 6th grade handbell choir.

What’s the handbells new normal? I inquired.

“There won’t be handbells at Lessons and Carols this year because of distancing and space restrictions,” she reported.

Wow! I responded. I’ve always enjoyed the way they set such a peaceful tone, not just for the service but for the day.

“They were always the prelude for the service,” Connie said. “They opened the service and did set the tone, set the mood for what was to come. They also would play accompaniments with the (5th grade) chorus. Another thing about the handbells is that the 5th grade boys are watching those 6th grade boys in front, ringing, and aspired to do that the following year.”

“There won’t be any congregational singing,” Connie said. “It’ll just be the boys choir.”

Hopefully, we’ll be back in action at Second Baptist, packed shoulder to shoulder, I said.
      
“Absolutely,” Connie agreed. “That would be ideal. It’s great that we can even put on this service this year. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our boys to shine.”

Gabe Yelanjian, theater production technician, was on stage this particular afternoon, putting the final touches on the setup for the 5th grade choir, also known as the Collegiate Boychoir.

How are we making it work in Oates? I asked.
   
“To make it work,” he said, “we’ve incorporated a lot of empty space between each singer. The stage is 35 feet wide and about 20 to 30 feet deep. We’re using every single inch of it to fit everybody. That’s much larger than the church space, but we have the same amount of kids, and they’re taking up every single inch to make sure we have six feet between everyone.  Six feet apart, it’s harder for our singers to hear each other. They can’t play off of each other or hide behind other voices. They really have to be independent singers.”

“It’s actually interesting,” Gabe replied. “The past two years, every time we do something in Oates, we also stream it. It’s basically two event spaces happening simultaneously: a stream that has its own audio feed, its own visual, its own setup, as well as the in-person event setup. So everything that takes place in any theater right now that’s streamed is basically two events happening at the same time.”
  
We get it done, though. Right?
  
“Oh, always,” he said. “We’ll always get it done.”

Kate Parthemos, fine arts assistant, was on site, assigning (spaced) seats in the audience and generally making sure all was in order.

Other than the venue and spacing issues, what’s our new Lessons and Carols normal? I asked.
  
“That’s the biggest thing, and we’ve adjusted so that all 52 of the 5th grade singers are on the stage,” she said. “The Middle and Upper school singers (known as Collegiate Voicemale) who are supplementing that will be in the balconies facing each other. Instead of an organ, we have a piano down front.  We’ll have the speakers sitting in the audience, also spaced, as opposed to on the stage. They’re having to make some adjustments, but they’ll handle it just fine.

This whole thing is about making adjustments, isn’t it?
     
“To make this service happen, yes,” she said. “We didn’t want to not have it.  It will be a lovely thing. I look forward to having one of our traditions back.”

In a few minutes, Ryan Blevins would begin rehearsal with the Boychoir group.

Speak about the differences from the past, I said.  

“The differences are getting used to acoustics and sound and space,” he replied. “Being six feet apart causes them (the singers) to hear things differently than when they’re in a church that’s a little more live and acoustically sound. They’ve having to project more. And we’ve had smaller chunks of rehearsal time and we’re not really rehearsing them altogether until this week, so it’s made it a little bit more difficult for them in this process, but they’re handling it really well.”

The show will go on. Right?
   
“Absolutely,” Ryan said. “These kids are resilient. I’m looking forward to hopefully getting it back in the church next year, but in the meantime, I’m excited that we can bring it back for the community this year. Small steps back to normal.”
~Weldon Bradshaw