Emmanuel to Host Carolina Treble Festival This Weekend
This Saturday and Sunday, Emmanuel Episcopal Church will host the 2025 Carolina Treble Festival. More than 38 choristers will be participating from churches across North Carolina and South Carolina.
The Carolina Treble Festival was started in 2003 by Clara Godshall at St. Alban’s, Davidson. Since that time, Episcopal musicians have gathered their chorister programs together for a weekend each winter/spring to offer exquisite music for trebles.
Over the years the festival has been held at Christ Church, Charlotte, St. John’s, Charlotte, St. Paul’s, Winston-Salem, St. Peter’s, Charlotte, St. John’s, Columbia, Trinity Cathedral, Columbia, St. Michael’s, Columbia, Holy Comforter, Charlotte, St. Timothy’s, Winston-Salem, and St. Helena’s, Beaufort.
The choristers, who range in age from 6 to 18, not only learn beautiful sacred music, but they form new friendships, see and explore the towns and cities and churches of their peers, and together, build community.
This is the first time this event has been held in Southern Pines. For those longtime members of our parish, you might remember the Three Choirs Festivals that took place during the tenure of organist/choirmaster Alan Reed from 1989 to 1996. Those festivals involved the choristers of Emmanuel, the choristers of St. Paul’s, Winston-Salem, under the direction of Barbara Beattie, and the choristers of Christ Church, Charlotte, under the direction of Ben Hutto. In those days, the choristers were separated by gender into a boys’ choir and a girls’ choir. The events were hosted in “round-robin” style, hosting girls one year, hosting boys one year, and then one year off. With changing times, the mixed choir model was established in 2003.
The choristers of the 2025 Carolina Treble Festival will sing at the 10 A.M. Sunday Eucharist and then again at a service of Choral Evensong at 3 P.M. on Sunday, February 23rd. A reception will follow Evensong in the Parish Hall.
The choristers will sing works by Bruce Neswick, Richard Shephard, Mary Plumstead, Craig Phillips, C.S. Lang, and evening canticles by English composer Simon Lole.
Kevin Kerstetter, the organist/choirmaster of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Raleigh, will serve as the Treble Fest Director.
Dr. Homer A. Ferguson III
Organist/Choirmaster