The Choirs of Saint Luke’s Parish in Darien, and Christ Church in Greenwich will sing a service of Choral Evensong on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. at Saint Luke’s.
The service will be the first joint effort between the two Episcopal parishes in recent memory. It is being conducted by Jamie Hitel (director of music at Christ Church) and David Pulliam, (director of music and organist at Saint Luke’s).
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— an announcement from St. Luke’s Parish
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The service, held in the historic Saint Luke’s Parish church at 1864 Boston Post Road, is open to everyone. A wine and cheese reception will follow.
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St. Luke’s Choir earlier this year
Evensong, one of the great liturgical legacies of Henry VIII and most cherished of Episcopal services, has its origins in the ancient monastic (and before then, Jewish), tradition of marking the day with specific times of prayer.
Contributed photo
Christ Church Choir in Greenwich
When the Church of England severed its Roman ties, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489—1556) condensed several traditional monastic services into Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, called Matins and Evensong when sung.
The choirs will perform works of composers Bernard Rose and Herbert Murrill and the monumental anthem “They that go down to the sea in ships” by English composer Herbert Sumsion, who served Gloucester Cathedral as organist for nearly forty years.