Caroling, Caroling Now We Go! Celebration

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Marquette will host Caroling, Caroling Now We Go!, a celebration of the musical legacy of Rev. Bates and Alfred Burt and Abbie Burt Betinis on Sunday, November 30th at 3:00 pm at the church at 201 East Ridge Street in Marquette.   The concert celebrates the 150th anniversary of St. Paul’s sanctuary building this Christmas and over 100 years of Burt Carols which originated at St. Paul’s.

In 1922 Rev. Bates Burt, the rector at St. Paul’s in Marquette, composed a Christmas carol and sent it out as a Christmas card to family, friends, and parishioners.  Burt Carols became an annual tradition and Bates’ son Alfred joined his father in composing 20 years later.  Alfred Bates went on to compose 15 carols of his own including “Caroling, Caroling,” “Star Carol, and “Some Children See Him,” which have been recorded by artists all over the world.  Composer Abbie Burt Betinis is the great granddaughter of Bates and grand-niece of Alfred, and since 2001 has continued the family caroling tradition.

“Celebrating the carols, along with the 150th anniversary of the sanctuary, is an honor and a privilege. The carols are an enduring legacy, hopefully, one that will continue for years to come.”    – Jan Brodersen, St. Paul’s Music Director

The concert performers will include Stephanie Beinlich, Jim Edwards, Adam Hall, Jon LaFonde, Kristen Ludwig, Jimmy Ludwig, Eric Marta, Darrius Morton, Janis Peterson, Dani Simandl, and the St. Paul’s Choir.  Classic Burt carols from all three generations of Burt composers will be performed and some entirely new arrangements will also be featured by vocalists and string ensembles.

As the Fred Bock Publishing Group has noted,  “The most famous American Christmas carol family is indisputably the Burt family. The carols of Bates and Alfred Burt and the Christmas carol cards they sent are now part of our hymnody and folklore.  Composer Abbie Burt Betinis is the great granddaughter of Bates and grand-niece of Alfred, and is continuing the tradition with freshness and craftsmanship.” 

Admission will be free and donations will be accepted.  All donations will benefit St. Paul’s Building Restoration fund as the church seeks to match the grant it received from the National Fund for Sacred Places.   The NFSP grant will help St. Paul’s address urgent structural needs, ensuring its continued role as a gathering place for worship, outreach, and community activities into the next 150 years.