The IPC Choir is offering a Choral Service of Evensong with violinist Daniel Szasz, concertmaster of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Officiated by the Rev. Nicole Newton, the music will include British composers John Ireland and Malcolm Archer, and American composers Ned Rorem and David Ashley White.

Evensong is the Service of Evening Prayer by Song. It is a worship service sung at the onset of evening to mark the close of day with gratitude, and to compose the mind and renew the spirit for the coming week. We take this time to rest in the Heart of God, to give thanks for our lives and our blessings. You will be asked to join in silently while the music is offered on your behalf. You may join in verbally in the chanting of the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed, and in the singing of the hymns.

The worship is truly ecumenical, as it draws on traditions of worship dating to the Fourth Century. Evensong is the name given in medieval England to the canonical hour of Vespers - the hour the candles are lit, hence the singing of the Hymn of Light (Phos Hilaron). The service includes important additions from Compline, the last of the day-hours, said before retiring for the night. The Magnificat, the Song of Praise, was sung by the Blessed Virgin Mary when her cousin, Elizabeth, had greeted her as the mother of the Lord. It has been the canticle of Vespers since the time of St. Benedict (c.480-550). The Nunc dimittis, the Song of Simeon, has been part of the daily prayers since the fourth century. Simeon was the aged and devout Jew who took the infant Christ in his arms in the Temple at Jerusalem and spoke these words.

Choral Evensong is essentially a service of reflection. Here beauty in language and music can speak to us of God in a rich and diverse way. Within this hallowed space you may forget the ceaseless activity of daily life and be still.