Dates for 67th Feast of Lights Announced

The University of Redlands School of Music will present from Dec. 5 - 8 the 67th Feast of Lights, a service of worship celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in spoken word, tableaux, song and orchestral offering to be held at the University of Redlands Memorial Chapel. The Feast of Lights is co-sponsored by the Office of the Chaplain and the School of Music. The theme of the feast has remained constant through the decades: the story of the birth of Christ and the symbolic message of the star of Bethlehem as it led the Wise Men to the stable. At the service’s conclusion, the traditional Ceremony of Candles, adapted from an ancient rite, symbolizes the spreading of the light of Christ’s message by the twelve apostles throughout the world. For many faithful attendees, the tradition of the Feast of Lights marks the beginning of the Holiday season. The 67th Annual Feast of Lights is proud to support the Family Services Association of Redlands with a canned food drive; guests are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to the performance in support of local families in need. The Feast of Lights finds its antecedents in Hanukah, the festival instituted by Judas Maccabaeus in B.C. 164 when the desecrated Temple in Jerusalem was purified and rededicated in the service of Jehovah. Inspired by the Jewish Feast of Lights, the Bishop of Albany, the Right Reverend G. Ashton Oldham, created a liturgical candlelight procession as part of a seasonal service held during Epiphany at Albany Cathedral in New York State. Impressed by the Albany event, Organist and Choirmaster J. Williams Jones created a similar service in 1942 for the First Presbyterian Church of Rome, New York. The first California presentation of the Feast took place in December of 1944 where it was celebrated in Calvary Church in Riverside using several choirs. With a presentation by the School of Music in 1947, J. Williams Jones brought the Feast to its present home at the University of Redlands. That same year the tableau was added, marking the beginning of interdisciplinary collaborations with members from different departments within the university as well as with outside organizations. From 1947 to today, the maintenance department has provided assistance and cooperation in the mounting of this event. Beginning in 1951, members from the theatre department have lent their energies to several Feast productions and will do so again in this year’s celebration. The Feast has inspired numerous students and attendees. Serving as testaments to such inspiration are the recreations and reinterpretations of the Feast of Lights by University of Redlands alumni that have sprung up over the years in the United States as well as abroad, involving many great artists and important personalities. During its 66 years, the Feast of Lights has become one of the most recognizable and respected of university’s traditions. Under the leadership of Directors J. William Jones, Jeffrey Rickard and Nicholle Andrews, its fame is nationwide and much of its music has been recorded. As stated by an early Feast participant and University of Redlands faculty, the Feast is “a tapestry of scripture, poetry, music and drama. Always recognizable at its core, it is ever new in the elements and changes that appear annually in its music, drama and over-all structure.” Tickets* will be available on Aug. 27: $25 General Public $15 Seniors 65 and over $10 Students with valid ID $5 University of Redlands students *A $2.50 surcharge is added to the price of all tickets purchased. The ticket office is located in the 1st floor of Hunsaker Center at the University of Redlands 909-748-8116.