Centenary College Choir invites community to Easter sunrise service
The annual Easter sunrise service at Hargrove Memorial Amphitheater will be Sunday, April 20, 2025, and the “Centenary College Choir and Friends” will perform. The service will start at 6:00 a.m., and it is free and open to the public.
Centenary College’s new chaplain, Rev. Maddie Russo, will deliver the service along with college staff and students. The choir welcomes community choristers, alumni, and friends to join for the program and celebrate the holiest day of the Christian calendar.
The program recounts the final days of Jesus' passion and ushers in the celebration of the resurrection as the morning sun rises.
“The contour of the service begins in darkness, a reminder of the deep despair of Christ's followers in the aftermath of the crucifixion," says Dr. David Hobson, director of the Centenary College Choir. “Thus, the liturgy reminds the congregation of those profound events leading to the cross, and it never seems to fail that as the sun rises, the story reaches its resurrection climax. The music is poignantly woven into the narrative to add sound and emotional dimensions to what is the crux event of the Christian faith.”
This service is also one of the oldest traditions of the Centenary Choir, dating back to the 1950s. Rev. Russo is new to Centenary college. She joined Centenary following Rev. Lindy Broderick’s retirement in December.