Community Gathers for Carol Sing
Members of the Exeter community settled into Phillips Church on Tuesday as the holiday Carol Sing event began. In Essence, an Academy a capella group, welcomed the attendees alongside Music Instructor Eric Sinclair, wowing the crowd with holiday favorites. Music Instructor and Chapel Organist Barbara Flocco then led the audience in a spirited sing-along. A reception in the Stuckey Room followed the event.
Flocco, along with Interim Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Heidi Heath, organized the event as an opportunity for the Academy to gather and spend time to celebrate the music of the holiday season, especially in light of the cancellation of the annual Holiday Concert and Assembly. “Pastor Heidi and I put our heads together, and we decided it’d just be nice to have a kind of an informal get-together and sing to celebrate the upcoming [winter] break and holidays,” she noted.
Students and town residents alike tramped through the snow to hear the Exeter students sing. “I think people look forward to this—I was actually amazed that they came out in this weather, especially the older folks,” Flocco said.
In fact, the event’s attendance exceeded expectations, a pleasant surprise indicative of the community’s support for the event. “We actually didn’t prepare for as many people to show up, so we were a little overwhelmed with the number of attendees and our snacks might not have been as many as we should have,” she said. “It’s a wonderful expression of the warmth of this community.”
Senior and In Essence Co-Head Jasmine Liao also noted the Academy’s decision not to hold a Holiday Assembly this year as a reason for the event. “Usually, we’ll have a Holiday Concert and a Holiday Assembly that takes place,” she said. In Essence took on the event after the success of their Evening Prayer last year—a performance that featured several Christmas and Holiday-themed songs.
The event invited the audience to participate in a series of sing-alongs to popular tunes ranging from “Jingle Bells” to “Sleigh Bells” and ended with “Twelve Days of Christmas,” which featured a series of audience solos. “My favorite part was the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas,’ when everyone had a little solo… I’ve never seen or heard it before, so I think it’s super cool,” Liao said.
Flocco expressed her appreciation for Sinclair’s performance at the event, which traditionally is the highlight of the annual Holiday Assembly. “You can’t beat Mr. Sinclair,” she said. “He is just an institution around here. He’s been here for many years and it was great to have him.”
The performers were met with much applause, and Liao noted the event’s great success. “Everyone got involved... I think that went really well,” she noted.
Upper Alicia Gopal shared similar sentiments. “I think it was really nice to see some of my friends that were really stressed out these Hell Weeks—it was great just to loosen up and be very lively,” she said. In the dark of the New Hampshire winter night, Carol Sing offered some holiday relief to groups of tired Exonians.