Lent is the time that Christians remember the sufferings of Christ before His crucifixion. The season of Lent is 40 days before Easter. Traditionally Canto Deo has sung a concert which we called A Lenten Service of Motets and Meditations which is patterned after the well known Advent Service of Lessons (meditations) and Carols (motets). The music of Advent is looking forward to the birth of the Christ while the music of Lent serves to remind us of the final sufferings of Christ. Likewise, the lessons of Advent are the biblical readings of the events that lead up to the first Advent of Christ and the Lenten meditations are readings of thoughtful writings to remind us of the reason Christ came and what He suffered for our sake. This year, the Lenten Service is titled Abiding Blessings: A Musical Conversation with Saints through the Ages. We felt this title would be less stodgy and hope it will spark more interest than the previous one.
Another first this year is the combining of the Festival and Chamber Choirs for this service. Our director, Jonathan, wanted the members of the Festival Choir to experience the acoustics of St. Elizabeth.