About the Concert:

For generations, King’s College, Cambridge has shown that Christmas tradition is renewed not by standing still, but by making room for new creation. Beginning in 1983, Sir Stephen Cleobury established the now-beloved tradition of commissioning a new carol each year, ensuring that familiar texts and themes could continue to speak in new musical voices. In that same spirit, the Back Bay Chorale inaugurated its own annual carol commissioning competition in 2025. This program brings that commitment to life with beloved music of the season alongside fresh reflections on Christmas’s most enduring images and stories, including the world premiere of the 2026 Back Bay Chorale Carol Commission.

About the Soloists

Justin T. Blackwell is Associate Director and organist of Music at Marsh Chapel, Boston University. More...