Benjamin Britten wrote A Ceremony of Carols while crossing the Atlantic in 1942, a young composer surrounded by blackout conditions, submarine threats, and the uneasy quiet of a ship holding its course through wartime waters. It’s hard to imagine a less likely birthplace for a piece defined by radiance. Yet perhaps that contrast—peril and clarity, danger and devotion—is why the music still glows with such urgency.

On December 14, the St. Cecilia Choir of Girls will bring this singular work to life at Christ Church Greenwich, joined by the shimmering anchor of harp. For Greenwich audiences, the chance to hear this piece performed by young voices feels especially f itting. The music was written by someone who understood that beauty isn’t a luxury reserved for peaceful years; it’s something

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