By Dr Paul Taylor

On Sunday 27 October at St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Bendigo, members of Sacred Heart Cathedral Choir joined the Choir from St Paul’s for a combined service of Evensong at 6:00 p.m. attended by members from both Cathedral communities.

The Anglican Evensong tradition is a beautiful church service based on the ancient custom of evening prayer developed by the earliest Christian communities, and has inspired some of the most magnificent choral settings of the biblical canticles associated with Evening Prayer (or Vespers) and Night Prayer (or Compline) such as the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis by English composers in particular during the past 150 years.

On the night, both Choirs combined to sing the Evensong canticles by Irish-Anglo composer Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924), plus Locus Iste by Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) and A Clare Benediction by John Rutter (b. 1945). Hugo Hess, the Eileen Denton Organ Scholar at Sacred Heart Cathedral played the Festive Trumpet Tune by David German (b. 1954) as the postlude, and the combined Choirs were conducted by Rohan Phillips, Director of the Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral and accompanied by Stan Jackson, Organist from St Paul’s.

The service was led by the Dean of St Paul’s, Rev. Angela Lorrigan, OLM who noted the historical development of the rich Evensong tradition in recent centuries of the Church’s history, in addition to drawing attention to the shared value of this traditional Christian communal prayer. The Evening concluded with a shared supper and drinks in the Cathedral narthex. It is anticipated that this ecumenical form of prayer will become an annual highlight of both Choir’s liturgical calendar. Both Choirs and community members present found the experience rewarding.

A return form of hospitality will take place on Sunday 8 December 2024 at 3:00 p.m. when St Paul’s Cathedral Choir will join Sacred Heart Cathedral Choir for the annual Carols concert in Sacred Heart Cathedral, in collaboration with Cathedral Brass from St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne (directed by Dennis Freeman), the combined Bendigo Cathedral Choirs (directed by Sarah Gould) and organ accompaniment by Paul Taylor. The Concert is free.

Photograph courtesy of Jess from St Paul’s Cathedral.