The Guadalajara Reporter

City Living - December 6, 2013

The 16-member choir at St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Guadalajara is set to sing the annual, bilingual, interdenominational “Lessons and Carols” worship service on Sunday, December 8 at 5 p.m. The congregation joins in on many of the Advent hymns and Christmas carols, which alternate with bible readings related to Jesus’ birth.

Special singers will join the regular choir for the occasion, with Debra Rodriguez directing and the acclaimed Ana Silvia Guerrero on organ. 

A highlight will be a 13th-century plainchant paired with a poem by Aurelius Prudentius, “Of The Father’s Love Begotten.” The choir will also sing the beloved Bach hymn, “Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light” and “Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming” by Michael Praetorius.” The congregation joins in with popular carols such as “The First Nowell,” and “Angels We Have Heard On High,” some of which are partly sung in Spanish. The choir anthem is the Hispanic lullaby “A La Nanita Nana.”

St. Mark’s small Spanish choir led by Jorge Audelo on guitar will sing the Arabic-influenced “Los Peces en el Rio.”

The service lasts about an hour and is followed by punch and other refreshments in the parish hall.

“Lessons and Carols” was begun at King’s College, Cambridge, in 1918, as a welcome to the Christmas season.  St. Mark’s is at Aztecas and Chichimecas in Colonia Monraz, a two-minute drive north of Plaza Mexico and near the end of Bus 33-A. (33) 3641-6620. www.stmarksanglican.org.

Direct from New York, Omar Avital and his Band of the East livened up the International Book Fair this week.

American School race

The American School of Guadalajara holds its first 5-kilometer and 2-kilometer races on Sunday, December 8, 7:45 a.m.

Some 300 runners, including students, teachers, staff members, parents, ex-alumni and friends of the school, have registered for the races that will begin and end at the school campus and follow a course through Colonia Providencia, taking in Avenida Pablo Neruda and Montevideo.

The aim is to promote a healthy lifestyle among students.

For  more information go to www.guevarasports.com/#!the-american-school/cwhs or call Alejandro Garza at 3648-2497.

Cabañas

In conjunction with the International Book Fair (FIL), the Instituto Cultural Cabañas is hosting a multidisciplinary exhibit by Israeli video, photo and cinema artist Michal Rovner. Says the artist of her installations: “I present situations of conflict, tensions, fractures, vulnerability … I always begin with reality. I record it and subsequently, little by little, I extract the image of reality, which becomes more fuzzy, losing its own definition, and bringing therefore something else.”

Also at the Cabañas is an exhibition of artwork that has been featured in free Mexican public school text books over the past 52 years.  The work of 41 artists is featured. The exhibit runs until February 2.  Entry to both exhibits is free with a ticket for the Cabañas.

Manger scene

The annual nacimiento (manger scene) erected at the Museo de las Artes Populares (Folk Art Museum) in downtown Guadalajara is always worth a visit. This year’s creche has been crated by master ceramist Florencio Reyes Lomeli of Tlaquepaque. The exquisite Biblical pieces are made of barro bruñido and barro policromado and measure up to 30 centimeters.  In addition, the museum is showing traditional Christmas scenes made from plasticine by Edgar Martínez.  The museum is located at San Felipe 211.

Beer festival

Several local artisanal breweries are hosting a small beer festival on Saturday, December 7 in Tonala’s main plaza, from 3-9 p.m.  As well as samplings, there will be music and folk dancing and a course in home brewing (cost 350 pesos). For more information call Jesus Aguaje at (cell) 331-462-0456.

AMSOC POSADA

The American Society holds it’s yearly Christmas fiesta Saturday, December 14. See their advertisement on page 2 for details.

Kids on Sunday

Guadalajara’s Sunday Via RecreActiva has dedicated a pavilion especially for kids’ activities, running along the central divider of Avenida Chapultepec from Avenida Vallarta to Justo Sierra.