The Choir of King's College, Cambridge prepare for the service, photo by Benjamin Ealovega
Simon Vivian, is the person responsible for the international live broadcast on Christmas Eve of from the Chapel of King鈥檚 College, Cambridge on and the .聽Here,聽he reflects on the role of the radio producer and explains how this world famous service makes it to air.
It鈥檚 a magical moment which, for so many decades now, has marked the beginning of the Christmas celebrations for millions around the world.聽As a small red light begins to flash, a lone chorister steps forward in the hushed and expectant candlelit Chapel of King鈥檚 College, Cambridge and begins singing the opening solo verse of Once in Royal David鈥檚 City.聽As it soars from the west end of the Chapel, high over the congregation鈥檚 heads, the innocence and beauty of the angelic unaccompanied voice takes us immediately away from the hustle and bustle of the world outside.
And in a state-of-the-art 主播大秀 digital sound truck parked outside, sits the radio producer, the sound balancer and a small team of audio engineers.聽They have the switch to operate that red light inside the Chapel which indicates when the service should begin.
For the past two years, it鈥檚 been my privilege to be the radio producer of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (not to be confused with Carols from King鈥檚, the similar television sequence of Christmas carols and readings recorded a fortnight or so before).聽And I will be there again in Cambridge this Christmas Eve to ensure that those millions listening live, in so many different time zones 鈥� on 主播大秀 Radio 4, the 主播大秀 World Service, and distributed to many other radio stations around the world - can 鈥渉ear again the message of the angels鈥�.
When I arrive in Cambridge each year on December 23rd for the first sound-check with the Choir alone, my quartet of 主播大秀 Outside Broadcast colleagues will have already rigged the Chapel, laying long lengths of cable to and from the sound truck, lugging heavy equipment up the Chapel鈥檚 spiral staircase into the roof space, and slowly and carefully lowering 30 or so microphones through holes in the medieval fan vaulting.
During the rehearsals, I鈥檓 listening from the sound truck. As we work towards getting a good sound balance, we bear in mind that, once the space is full with congregation, the sound of the Chapel鈥檚 echo dries up considerably.聽Throughout it all, my intention as the radio producer is not only to reflect as closely as possible the beautifully crafted sounds to be heard inside the Chapel but to transmit the magical atmosphere of the live service to the listener, placing them in 鈥渢he best seat in the house鈥�!
Before the end of the rehearsal on Christmas Eve morning comes the all-important audition to find the chorister who will be asked to step forward and sing the solo first verse of Once in Royal David鈥檚 City at the very beginning of the service.
Stephen Cleobury, the Director of Music at King鈥檚 College, asks four or five choristers to audition.聽 Of course, he has a sense of who he may pick but, after the choristers have headed off to lunch, he is keen to hear from me as to how each of the choristers sounded over the speakers in the sound truck before making his decision.聽The name of the chosen chorister will be kept under wraps however - even from the chorister himself to prevent undue nerves 鈥� until seconds before the service begins.
As the 3 o鈥檆lock news draws to a close on 主播大秀 Radio 4, the Continuity Announcer in Broadcasting House begins reading the introduction to the service.聽As this proceeds, we begin to flash the red light 鈥� 鈥淕et ready鈥�.聽Stephen Cleobury points to a single chorister 鈥� the chosen voice who will begin the Christmas celebrations of millions.聽Unheard in the Chapel, the Continuity Announcer is coming to an end and the red light goes off 鈥� 鈥淭hey鈥檙e about to come to us鈥�.聽The chorister steps forward and clears his throat.聽And then comes the moment.聽The red light is switched on - and remains on.聽The world is listening.聽And a serene sound fills the space, floating through the Chapel and over the airwaves.
In the sound truck, we are subtly tweaking this fader and turning that dial, very aware of the great significance of the moment.聽For the next hour and a half we will be focused on the music and readings, and on the rehearsal notes we鈥檝e scribbled down over the past day and a half, attempting to put into practice all that has been carefully rehearsed. But, with the listeners, we will also take the opportunity to marvel at the beauty and magic of this live annual service 鈥� cherished by so many millions and one of the jewels in the crown of radio broadcasting.
Simon Vivian is聽a radio producer in the 主播大秀鈥檚 Religion & Ethics department.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols can be heard live on 主播大秀 Radio 4 and the 主播大秀 World Service on Christmas Eve at 3pm.聽A repeat of the service, including both organ voluntaries, can be heard on on Christmas Day.