Join Us: Sing "Silent Night" at the Kimmel Center on Dec. 15th
Let's get together and sing a simple, joyful song! We’re gathering at the Kimmel Center on Friday, December 15th to sing the beloved carol Silent Night, side-by-side with our fellow Philadelphians, and we need your voice! Join us: we may be strangers when we arrive—from various backgrounds and neighborhoods, from school children to seniors—but we will leave united by song.
Register at the bottom of this page.
This free community performance will be a powerful experience that you don’t want to miss, showing beyond a doubt that music connects us, inspires us, and elevates us—regardless of our differences.
We welcome singers of all ages and experience to participate, but you can also participate as a listener. Everyone is welcome to this free event!
Meg Bragle, WRTI's classical afternoon host and accomplished singer herself, will emcee the night and cheer us on. Philadelphia composer and conductor John Conahan will lead all singers participating in his beautiful arrangement of “Silent Night”.
In 2018, to mark the 200th anniversary of “Silent Night," more than 1,200 singers gathered at the Kimmel Center for the first annual Silent Night Sing-In. In 2019, over 1,500 singers assembled. We are so glad to be able to gather again in 2023 with the pandemic behind us. Let’s break that 2019 attendance record!
Event details: On Friday, December 15th, 2023 from 4:30 to 6:00 PM, singers of all ages and abilities, some from diverse ensembles all across the Greater Philadelphia Region, and many who just enjoy singing, will come together for the SILENT NIGHT SING-IN, a performance in the Commonwealth Plaza of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. There will be a brief rehearsal for all participating singers beginning at 5:00 PM sharp, and then a performance by all participating singers directly following the rehearsal.
Please register below so that we can accommodate and prepare for all singers and audience members planning to attend.
Silent Night Sing-In event schedule for Dec 15th:
4:15 – 4:50 pm: Participating singers and audience arrive at Commonwealth Plaza at the Kimmel Center.
4:55 – 5:00 pm: Opening remarks from the podium by WRTI, Kimmel Center, and John Conahan.
5:00 – 5:55 pm: Rehearsal and Performance of “Silent Night”, led by John Conahan.
5:55 – 6:00 pm: Closing remarks. Disperse and spread the joy!
Learn your vocal part:
Singers can find the sheet music of John's arrangement, showing soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts along with MP3 listening files available by soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts at SilentNightPhilly.com
Don't worry, it's easy and fun! You already know the song, but if some preparation is helpful use the resources link above – it will help us sound even better that night! Please print and bring the sheet music with you, or access it on your phone.
Our goal is to provide a wonderful experience, and a comfortable space for singers of all backgrounds to connect and celebrate the joy of music and communal singing. We welcome singers of all ages and experience. Many diverse voices and backgrounds will create the best experience. Please join us for this celebration of the connectivity of music in our beloved city.
Are you in? We’d love to sing WITH YOU. Register today below. It's free!
Produced by WRTI 90.1 with composer and conductor John Conahan and the Kimmel Cultural Campus, this event is free for singers and audience members. Everyone is invited to participate! #silentnightphilly
Watch this video from 2019’s Silent Night Sing-In:
John Conahan is a composer, performer, conductor, and educator based in Philadelphia. His compositions have been premiered at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and other prestigious venues by conductors including Lorin Maazel, Marin Alsop, and Donald Nally. One of Conahan’s works was featured at the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors Ceremony in Washington, DC.
About The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc.
On June 17, 2021, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus announced a pathbreaking partnership to create a brighter, more inclusive, innovative cultural future for Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. The two organizations were united from a position of strength to bring the greatest performances and most impactful education and community programs, in-person and digitally, to the diverse audiences of the city, and beyond. The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc., is reimagining the power of the arts to bring joy, create community, and effect change—to uplift all Philadelphians.
WRTI 90.1 is a member-supported, classical music and jazz public media station located in Philadelphia, with 14 frequencies serving listeners in PA, NJ, and DE. The mission of WRTI is to champion music as a vital cultural resource with core values of discovery, curation, performance, community, and preservation. Listen on the radio, online at WRTI.org, on the WRTI mobile App, and on your favorite smart speaker.
Notice: When you attend this event, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering and by your presence, you consent to be photographed, filmed and/or otherwise recorded.