Lessons and Carols is a tradition that has echoed for more than a century: music and readings in dialogue, telling stories of community, spirit and renewal. For Shenandoah Conservatory's 150th anniversary, I wanted to honor that form while reimagining it in a secular frame.

The piece unfolds as a sequence of readings paired with new carols, each one responding directly to the words that precede it. The carols take their cues from tradition: concise, singable and shaped to illuminate the lessons. At the same time they are unmistakably contemporary, at times contemplative, at times full of rhythm and energy, always seeking to amplify the voices of poets and the performers.

In creating this work, I thought constantly about what it means to carry traditions forward, not as relics but as living forms that can hold new meanings. Lessons and Carols has always been about listening. This new work listens back, looks forward and celebrates a community built on song.

– Joel Puckett, composer

Joel Puckett’s new work was commissioned in celebration of Shenandoah University’s 150th anniversary, and made possible by the generosity of John Lewis in honor of his wife, Marjorie.