Lessons & Carols Service

Welcome the holiday season with music and reflection in the Little Church on December 12. We hope you'll join us when the Guild and the Church of the Transfiguration bring back this beloved service for the first time since the pandemic.

The Lessons and Carols service is an Advent tradition in the Anglican Church that dates back to 1880. The nine traditional readings begin with Genesis and end with the Gospel of Luke. Interspersed with the readings are traditional Christmas carols, hymns, and choir music by Claudia Dumschat and the Church of the Transfiguration Choir of Men and Boys and Girls. The traditional service will be led by Father John David van Dooren.

This event is free and open to those of all faiths and none. RSVP is not required but it is encouraged.

Please arrive to The Church of the Transfiguration (also known as The Little Church Around the Corner, located at 1 E. 29th St., New York, NY 10016) by 6:00pm ET. Make sure to bring your vaccination card, ID, and mask.

In lieu of a traditional collection during the service, please consider making a donation to EAG’s Children’s Holiday Fund, which provides a grant to EAG's performing-artist clients with small children during the holiday season.

We are sorry but this event will not be livestreamed and there will not be a reception or open mic following the service this year.

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EAG's Covid Safety Rules: For this joint service, the Church of the Transfiguration (aka the Little Church Around the Corner) will be adopting most of EAG’s covid safety rules. Everyone entering the Little Church sanctuary for EAG’s Lessons & Carols Service must be FULLY vaccinated, provide in-person proof of vaccination, and, per CDC guidelines for areas of high transmission, wear a mask while in the space. (Clergy, readers, singers, and the choir will be allowed to go without a mask.) For more details about our covid safety protocols, please visit www.actorsguild.org/covid-safety-protocols.

Directions: The Church of the Transfiguration (Little Church) is located at 1 EAST 29th STREET, NYC 10016 (midblock between Madison and Fifth, between #3 and #9 East 29th Street). It is NOT the big church on the corner of Fifth Avenue; that's Marble Collegiate. When you arrive at the Little Church, enter through the main gate then enter the sanctuary through the main doors into the church.

Getting Here: The closest subways are the R/W or 6 at 28th Street or the B/D/F/M or N/Q/R/W at 34th Street/Herald Square. If you are arriving by bus, take the M1, M2, M3, M5, M6, or M7.

Lobby: If the main doors to the church are open you are welcome to enter for some quiet reflection before the service. If the doors are not yet open, please enjoy the Little Church’s garden (weather permitting). There is not a lobby or other waiting area. Guild Hall will not be open.

Accessibility: The Little Church is wheelchair accessible.

Late seating: With our current COVID-19 Safety Protocols in place, we cannot guarantee late seating. Please do your best to arrive on time.