Carmel HS Choir and Terre Haute North Vigo HS Choir Take the Stage at EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional

In late December 2025, two Indiana choirs stepped into one of Walt Disney World’s most meaningful holiday traditions: EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional. Carmel High School Choir, directed by Katie Kouns, performed Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, followed by Terre Haute North Vigo Choir, directed by Michelle Azar, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025.
Both groups performed once, but the experience carried the weight of a career highlight. Candlelight is not a typical theme park performance. It is a full-scale concert presentation of the Christmas story, blending artistry, tradition and an atmosphere that feels larger than the stage itself.

What makes Candlelight different?

EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional is staged at the America Gardens Theatre as part of EPCOT’s International Festival of the Holidays. A celebrity narrator reads the story of Christmas while a live orchestra and massed choir bring the program to life with classic seasonal music.

The celebrity narrator changes throughout the run. Past narrators have included Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi Goldberg, Gary Sinise, Marlee Matlin and Edward James Olmos, among many others. In 2025, Carmel HS and Terre Haute North Vigo HS performed during the narrator window featuring Brendan Fraser.

The Candlelight tradition began at Disneyland in the late 1950s, later expanded to Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park in 1971 and eventually moved to EPCOT in 1994 as the event’s popularity grew.

Carmel High School Choir: A performance experience that starts before the stage

Carmel High School Choir traveled to Orlando on Thursday, Dec. 18. Their days included Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and time at Disney Springs before performance day at EPCOT.

On Sunday, Dec. 21, Carmel headed to EPCOT for their Candlelight day. While rehearsals and warmups are intentionally closed to protect the flow of the production, the performance itself tells the story: students stepping onto a major stage in a nationally recognized holiday program.

During the Processional, student singers stand with their voice parts, not with their home choir. Carmel students were visually and musically woven into a much larger ensemble of student performers from across the country.

The following day brought a visit to Magic Kingdom, giving students time to relax, reflect and enjoy one of Disney’s most iconic parks before concluding their trip and returning home early the next morning.

Terre Haute North Vigo: A big moment

Terre Haute North Vigo Choir arrived by motorcoach and spent the first part of their trip creating memories across multiple major parks, including Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. They also included a day at Universal Orlando, creating a high-energy lead-up to their performance day.

On Monday, Dec. 22, the group headed to EPCOT for Candlelight. The precision of the schedule and the scale of the production required students to rise quickly to the moment. It is part of what makes Candlelight such a meaningful opportunity. Students are treated as professionals, expected to deliver at a high level and trusted with a central role in a long-standing holiday tradition.

After the performance, the group remained in EPCOT to experience “Luminous: The Symphony of Us”, marking the end of their time at Walt Disney World on a celebratory note. That evening also served as a natural moment of reflection, allowing students to take pride in the performance that anchored their entire trip before beginning the journey home the following day.

Why directors pursue Candlelight

For music educators, Candlelight checks boxes that are hard to find in a single opportunity.

• Prestige and tradition: It is a long-running Disney holiday program with a documented legacy and an audience that treats it like an annual must-see.
• Professional production value: Celebrity narration, orchestra and massed choir elevate the experience beyond what most students have ever performed with.
• A rare kind of student growth: Students learn how to perform at a high level in a high-pressure environment, then share that accomplishment with their peers and families.

Just as importantly, Candlelight is not only about the hour on the risers. The surrounding trip matters. Park time, shared meals, nighttime spectaculars and the simple in-between moments are what turn an honor into a memory students will carry for years.

How Music Travel Consultants supports the experience

Trips like these require more than tickets and a hotel confirmation. Performance travel demands timing, communication and a plan that anticipates what directors and chaperones need in real time.

For both Carmel High School Choir and Terre Haute North Vigo Choir, the experience was strengthened by an itinerary built around the performance day, with thoughtfully structured park days before and after, clear movement through the destination and a schedule designed to keep students energized and ready for the moment that brought them to EPCOT in the first place.

If you are a director considering a future Candlelight Processional experience for your program, Music Travel Consultants can help you build a trip that supports the performance and elevates everything around it.

Let’s plan a Candlelight Processional trip your students will never forget.