Choral Evensong at St. George’s Church, London, Ontario
(Rory Leishman, a freelance journalist and parishioner of St. George’s, comments on the enduring popularity of choral Evensong, notably among young people, in England and in his home parish.)
Choral Evensong is one of the great treasures of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Countless numbers of Christians in other denominations have also come to cherish this very special service as one of the most sublime liturgical and musical resources in the entire Holy Catholic Church.
In England, the Anglican Communion is in a state of impending collapse, yet over the past six or seven years, there has been an uptick in attendance at Choral Evensong. Nowhere is this trend more evident than at St. Bartholomew the Great, a sprawling, 900-year-old edifice in the heart of the financial district in London, England. Like St. George’s in London, Ontario, Great St. Bart’s is growing and thriving as a result mainly of outstanding, inspirational, theologically orthodox preaching supplemented by an excellent music program featuring a superb organist and choir. At a packed Choral Evensong on June 9th, twenty-two members of Great St. Bart’s (almost all young adults) were baptized, confirmed and welcomed into the Church of England.
What accounts for this revival of Choral Evensong, especially among the young? In a recent interview with Damian Thompson of The Spectator magazine, the Rev. Marcus Walker, rector of Great St. Bart’s, explained: “It anchors a very, very, very fragile generation in something that feels eternal, something that has stood the test of time. Actually, offering worship that’s beautiful, that uses the poetry that undergirds the entire literary tradition of England, is attractive. It takes you out of the tedium of spreadsheets and Zoom and bureaucratic forms, and puts you into a wholly different register, where suddenly you’re encountering God.”
Of course, there has also been a revival in Choral Evensong here at St. George’s. Andrew Keegan Mackriell manages with his magnetic personality to recruit some of the top choristers in the city to supplement our excellent choir for Choral Evensong on the fourth Sunday of each month from September to June. One of the regular guest artists is Angus Sinclair, who motors down to St George’s from his perch as Music Director of St. John the Evangelist in Kitchener. Like Andrew, Angus is one of the top organists in the country. With Angus at the organ console, Andrew can concentrate on conducting the choir in some of the most sublime music ever composed.
The next three Choral Evensongs at St. George’s in 2024 will be on September 22, October 27 and November 24 at 4 pm. There will also be a service of Lessons and Carols on December 22. Nowhere else in Canada can you be inspired and uplifted by a more exalted combination of preaching and liturgical music than at our own Choral Evensongs here at St. George’s. All are welcome!