ACB and JFKS Advent & Christmas Caroling 2024/ Vorweihnachtliches Singen

Advent & Christmas Caroling Service / Vorweihnachtliches Singen und Musizieren

Join us for an evening of joyful singing and music at the Advent & Christmas Caroling Service in Berlin! Get into the festive spirit as we come together to celebrate the holiday season.

Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Time: 19:00 (Central European Time)

Location: Am Lustgarten, 10178 Berlin

IMPORTANT: T ickets for this event are available at no cost to you. Each person entering the building must have their own ticket, either printed or on their phone.

WICHTIG: Die Eintrittskarten für diese Veranstaltung sind kostenlos erhältlich. Jede Person, die das Gebäude betritt, muss ihr eigenes Ticket haben, entweder ausgedruckt oder auf ihrem Handy.

* *****************************************************************************************************

P lease donate to ensure that this beloved tradition continues. Your donations support charitable work and projects locally in Berlin and globally including in Colombia, South Africa, and India. Since 2022, we support refuge-seekers from Ukraine as well.

Join our "Patrons" who give €300 and more toward this event. Patrons are named in the printed program and provided reserved seating for the evening. By allowing us to include your name (or business name ) in our "Patrons" list on the printed programs, you encourage others to join in supporting this 30+-year tradition. Patrons help make the event possible by covering the rental fees for the magnificent Berlin Cathedral, special transportation for hundrends of valuable musical instruments including a piano and a harp, fees for music scores and copies for the musicianss, as well as the catering for the nearly 200 volunteer musicians and support team crew who are onsite for a full day and into the evening. Because sponsors and Patrons help cover these costs, the donations during the event help support charitable projects for orphans, families in poverty, and people with severe disabilities in Colombia, South Africa, and India.

The History of the Advent & Christmas Caroling Service in the Berlin Cathedral / D ie Geschichte des Vorweinachtliches Singen im Berliner Dom

The first Advent and Christmas Caroling Service was held December 9, 1993, soon after the magnificent restoration and historic reopening of the Berliner Dom. The service was initiated by several leaders at that time: Pfarrer Uwe Hollm, Probst i.R. of the Berliner Dom International Ministry; Reverend Dean Bard, Pastor of American Church in Berlin; and Dr. Alan Poland, Chairman of the John F. Kennedy School Music Department and Choir Director of the American Church in Berlin.

Planned as a one-time event, the response was overwhelming and as a result the service was repeated in 1994. It soon became a much-anticipated tradition of Berlin's German-American and international community. Tonight is the 31st Annual Advent and Christmas Caroling Service. With the continued support of the international, ecumenical church, American Church in Berlin, John F. Kennedy School, sponsors, and all who participate, this beloved service will continue for many years to come.

( Auf Deutsch)

Das erste Advents- und Weihnachtliedersingen fand am 9. Dezember 1993 statt, unmittelbar nach der prachtvollen Restaurierung und der anschließenden Wiedereröffnung des Berliner Doms. Diese Veranstaltung wurde damals durch führende Persönlichkeiten der einladenden Institutionen ins Leben gerufen: Pfarrer Uwe Hollm, Probst i.R. und Mitglied der "Dom International Ministry", Rev. Dean Bard, Pfarrer der Amerikanischen Kirche in Berlin und

Dr. Alan Poland, Leiter des Bereichs Musik der John-F.-Kennedy-Schule und Chorleiter der Amerikanischen Kirche in Berlin.

Ursprünglich als einmalige Veranstaltung geplant, wurde die Veranstaltung aufgrund der überwältigenden Resonanz im Jahr 1994 wiederholt und entwickelte sich bald zu einer Tradition, der die Deutsch-Amerikanische und internationale Gemeinschaft in Berlin stets mit großer Vorfreude entgegensieht. Heute Abend findet das alljährliche Advents- und Weihnachtsliedersingen zum 31. Mal statt. Mit Hilfe der andauernden Unterstützung der internationalen, ökumenischen Kirche, American Church in Berlin, der John-F.-Kennedy-Schule, der Sponsoren und aller weiteren Mitwirkenden wird dieses liebgewordene gemeinsame Feiern und Singen auch in den kommenden Jahren fortbestehen.