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Atheists & Agnostics

NNadir

(36,695 posts)

37. Every Christmas, my wife and I travel up to Bethlehem, PA for the Lehigh University Christmas Vespers.

Reply to oberle (Reply #35)

Sun Oct 5, 2025, 08:16 PM

Sunday

The Choir director there until recently - he retired - was the magnificent Steven Sametz.

The Vespers are done as a Christian Service, complete with readings from the "Gospel." At points in the "service" the audience is requested to sing along with the "hymns," which I do.

I love, absolutely love the event, which I regard as theater. Sametz is a genius.

It's held in the University Cathedral.

I strongly suspect - but do not know - that Sametz isn't a wild eyed Christian. During the year, his music was, when he was directing the Lehigh choir, eclectic, from many cultures.

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