A perennial entry on the community’s holiday calendar of events, the Alice P. Taylor Candlelight Service is set for Dec. 8 this year.
The ecumenical Christmas music service will continue its unbroken string at 4 p.m. that Sunday afternoon at the Presbyterian Church of Henderson, 100 S. Main St.
Music selections will be performed by choral groups from Henderson County High School and North Middle, the wind ensemble Windsday, Presbyterian Church organist Kristin Jones and several soloists, including Anne Pritchett Nash, Julie Wischer, Brent Carver and Brian Glick.
A little history
Musician Alice P. Taylor moved to Henderson from San Francisco in 1897 after she married a young local attorney named N. Powell Taylor. According to a 2009 article by Yesterday’s News columnist Frank Boyett in The Gleaner, her marriage brought to a close her professional operatic and concert career, but that certainly didn’t mean she stopped making music.
As early as 1903, Taylor was assisting with local organ recitals, and then followed with the 1924 formation of the Henderson Music Club, which organized recitals, pageants and concerts. Taylor was the first elected president of the club that eventually created an annual Christmas Candlelight Service.
Some believe the first Christmas Candlelight Service took place in 1931, and others think it was even earlier. Recent research indicated that Taylor organized the first service in her first term as Music Club president, which would make it nearly a century old.
In 1951, the Henderson Music Club added Taylor’s name to the service to honor her. For five years, until her death in 1956, Taylor was honored at the service with a special seat adorned with a big red bow and a corsage from the Music Club.
The Henderson Music Club dissolved about three decades ago, but volunteers have kept it going over time.
Even a global pandemic in 2020 couldn’t interrupt this holiday tradition. To keep the service going, organizers created a video and audio service featuring Henderson musicians far and near that was broadcast on social media and WSON radio.
“Thanks to those who began and continued the tradition, the Alice P. Taylor Candlelight Service has become a beautiful, ecumenical, musical occasion enjoyed by hundreds,” said long-time volunteer and retired music educator Heather McCormick.
