L’enfance du Christ

Knox Presbyterian Church
Michigan and Observatory Avenues, Hyde Park
Cincinnati, Ohio 45208

Sunday, December 15, 2024
5:00 p.m.

The Knox Music Series presents L’enfance du Christ (The Childhood of Christ) by the nineteenth century French composer Hector Berlioz on Sunday, December 15, at 5:00 p.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church, Michigan and Observatory Avenues in Hyde Park. A freewill offering will be collected. Visit knox.org/music for additional information. Earl Rivers, Knox Director of Music, conducts the Knox Choir and Knox and Guest Soloists. Featured Knox Soloists include Ellen Graham, mezzo-soprano, as Mary; Michael Young, baritone, as Joseph; Andrew Jones, tenor, as the Narrator; Parker Van Houten, baritone, as the Father; and Harrison Hancock, baritone, and Alberto de la Paz, tenor, as Polydorus and the Centurion, respectively. Guest Artist Kenneth Shaw, bass-baritone, sings the role of Herod. Refreshments will be served at Intermission, a free-will offering will be collected, and the program will end c. 7:00 p.m.

L’enfance du Christ tells the Christmas story in three parts, Part I depicting King Herod's Dream and his ordering of the massacre of all newborn children in the Roman province of Judaea. Part II tells of the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus setting out for Egypt, having been warned by the Angels to avoid the slaughter, and Part III portrays the Holy Family's safe arrival in the Egyptian town of Sais, where they are given refuge by a family of Ishmaelites. Composed between 1850 and 1854, Berlioz compiled his own text and conducted the premiere in Paris in 1854 with soloists from the Opéra-Comique singing the principal roles. A colorful Romantic orchestra enhances the dramatic action, and the choruses, sung by the Knox Choir, represent a variety of characters including sooth-sayers, angels, shepherds, and the welcoming Ishmaelites (a collection of Arab tribes). Persons familiar with Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, a staple of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Requiem, a massive work often featured at the Cincinnati May Festival, will relish the Knox Music Series’ production of L’enfance du Christ. (The Knox Music Series previously produced L’enfance du Christ in 1998 and 2012.)

The Knox Music Series is a Community Outreach Program of Knox Church. Recognized for its outstanding contributions to the quality of life in Cincinnati, Knox Music has been cited by “Cincinnati Magazine” as the “Best Church Music” in Cincinnati. Upcoming Knox Music Series events in 2025 include Saturday, February 8 at 7:00 p.m. with works of J.S. Bach, G.F. Handel, and W.A. Mozart. Contributions to support the Knox Music Series may be made online at knox.org/give.

Click here to see a list of all Knox major works.

The Knox Music Series is an Outreach Program of Cincinnati’s Knox Presbyterian Church, recognized for its outstanding contributions to the quality of life in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Magazine has cited the Knox Music Program as the “Best Church Music” in Cincinnati.