PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The annual Christmas concert at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on the Parkway is a virtual event this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Charlene Angelini, director of music ministry at the cathedral, said the event will debut on Sunday, December 13.
"A few of the Cathedral Basilica schola have gotten together in a perfectly safe, socially distanced, masked environment and worked on anthems and various singalongs so that we can have people really be able to enjoy the spirit of Christmas despite the current situation," Angelini explained.
"Our organist, Mark Loria, as well as some additional instrumentalists came and did some duets and other Christmas repertoire."
Angelini said anyone who wants to see the concert can go to the > the cathedral's website to make a donation to get an access code.
"The idea is here we will have a distinct release date but anytime thereafter people could still log on, buy a ticket, give it as a Christmas gift and view it indefinitely and as many times as they'd like to," she said. "The ticket would be one per household and you can view it multiple times."
Angelini said the theme of the concert, which was recorded in October, is a "Prayer for Peace."
