St. Stephen’s Carols by Candlelight Set For Dec. 13 In Ridgefield

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church presents its fourteenth annual Carols by Candlelight concert Saturday, Dec. 13, at 5 p.m. in the church sanctuary, 353 Main St. in Ridgefield. The concert features the St. Stephen’s Festival Choir, young choristers, soloists, a professional chamber orchestra, and readings. Derrick Goff, St. Stephen’s Minister of Music, will conduct the ensemble. He will also lead the audience in singing traditional Christmas carols, which will be interspersed throughout the concert.

Carols by Candlelight opens with the English carol “Once in Royal David’s City” sung in candlelight procession. Among the featured works will be “Gloria in Excelsis,” the exuberant opening movement of Gloria (RV 589) by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). Choral highlights will also include contemporary English composer Jonathan Dove’s “Seek Him that Maketh the Seven Stars,” a radiant anthem that invites the listener to contemplate the divine presence woven throughout creation; “Puer natus in Bethlehen/Ein Kind geborn zu Bethlehem,” by German composter Michael Praetorius (1571-1621), which unites the Latin and German versions of a jubilant Christmas song; “A Song of Peace” (Charles Villiers Stanford, 1852-1924), with its themes of hope, reconciliation, and the yearning for divine tranquility in a fractured world; and, by English composer Simon Lindley, who died earlier this year, a setting of “Ave Maria” known for its lyrical simplicity and gentle harmonic language. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. The suggested donation is $20.