St Benedict's Senior School Carol Service 2023

Attended by parents, prospective parents, alumni, governors, staff and pupils, the carol service showcased the students’ musical talents not only through their beautifully melodic singing but also through their outstanding instrumental performances.

The combination of the Consort Choir and Girls' Choir, accompanied by organ, brass, woodwind and strings, created a mesmerising symphony of sound which resonated throughout the Abbey.

During the service, there were moments of reflection and readings from students that reinforced the themes of love, hope, and peace, while the Consort Choir and school choirs, directed by Mr Eastwood, sang a wide range of traditional and contemporary Christmas music and congregational carols in a melodic celebration of the festive period.

The service began with O Come, O Come, Emmanuel sung by the school choir and was followed by the beautiful harmonies from the Consort Choir, including Handel’s O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings, Gabriel Jackson’s Hush My Dear, and In The Bleak Midwinter by Harold Darke, all interspersed with a variety of traditional carols including O Little Town Of Bethlehem, Once In Royal David’s City and Oh Come All Ye Faithful.  

Our newest students at the school, Form 3 (Year 7) also gave wonderful performances of Whence Is That Goodly Fragrance Flowing? (arr. Baker) and Make We Merry On This Fest by Andrew Carter.

As the final notes of Hark The Herald Angels Sing echoed through Ealing Abbey, the sense of joy and community spirit filled the air by bringing together students, teachers and families in a shared moment of reflection and unity.

Mince pies, mulled wine and a retiring collection for homeless charity, The Passage, brought the joyous evening to a close.