Christmas Without Music? Churches Are Finding a Way
At churches like St. James in Louisville, Ky., services this Christmas will not have in-person choirs or orchestras. But music directors are finding ways to persevere.
Phil Hines, the music director at St. James Catholic Church in Louisville, Ky., played the church’s 1885 pipe organ during a December rehearsal for Christmas services.Credit.Andrew Cenci for The New York Times
Published Dec. 20, 2020Updated Dec. 21, 2020
In a normal year, Phil Hines takes a deep breath, lays his hands on the keys of the 135-year-old pipe organ and begins to play.
The first notes of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” ring forth from some of the organ’s 2,200-plus pipes, creating a soaring herald that welcomes worshipers to St. James Catholic Church in Louisville, Ky., on Christmas Eve.