Spring Evensong Series
Dear Bethesda family,
I recently saw a video online where people of all ages were interviewed in English cathedrals. The single question was “Which is your favourite service?” (British spelling!) Some responses were hesitant, most were emphatic. All had the same words: “Choral Evensong.” This is our choral version of Evening Prayer. We will offer a Spring Series of Evensong at Bethesda on the first Sunday of the month in February, March, and May.
The service is a simple rite of hymns, prayers, readings, and the Bethesda Choir. It lasts around 45 minutes, and we make it the afternoon’s centerpiece with an optional recital beforehand and reception afterwards. The full package makes a perfect way to invite someone new to a Bethesda event where nothing is expected of them. Let the words wash over you. They speak to each of us differently, and that is part of the beauty of holiness. Enjoy the recital at 3:30 p.m., follow the leaflet (and sing the hymns!) at 4:00 p.m., and then stop in to the reception for a beverage and a chat.
The first of these Sundays, February 1, is this week! Nicole Marane, a fellow Australian organist, will be here from Atlanta to play a recital of Bach, Litaize, and Eben on the majestic Bethesda organ. Then the Bethesda Choir will process in, and they will sing responses by Richard Shephard, a set of canticles that Herbert Howells composed for Gloucester Cathedral, and an extended anthem by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (named after Johann Sebastian Bach).
On March 1, you’ll want to be here for a recital by the Concert Choir from Palm Beach Atlantic University, conducted by Sonia Santiago. The first Sunday of April will be Easter Day, and we will have commemorated Holy Week in many services throughout the week. So we will wait until May 3 for our final Evensong of the season, whose recital will feature four-handed music by Mozart.
I suspect that video was focused on young choristers, Lay Clerks, Vergers, and others who attended Evensong regularly. Many of our own choir members might offer the same response. We invite you to come and see why.
Stuart.