Magnificat-Boston to Sing Choral Evensong in Wakefield on Saturday, April 1

Magnificat-Boston, an auditioned choir comprising members of Episcopal churches throughout Eastern Massachusetts, will offer a service of Choral Evensong at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 5 Bryant Street, in Wakefield this Saturday, April 1, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. A reception with light refreshments will follow in the Hausrath Memorial Parish Hall.

The singers will present music by Richard Farrant, Charles Villiers Stanford, Leo Sowerby, and others. Director Louise Mundinger is Sub-Dean of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, organist at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, and Choral Director at Milton Academy. The Rev. Deborah Philips, Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Salem, MA, will officiate and the Rev. Dr. Matthew P. Cadwell, Rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church will offer additional prayers. Wakefield residents Faith Hodgkins, Don Hodgkins, and Michael Salvatore are members of the ensemble.

Choral Evensong is unique to the Episcopal/Anglican musical tradition. It originated in the sixteenth-century England following the Reformation, replacing the monastic prayer services that had previously punctuated the day. The hour-long service is conducted in the late afternoon, often in candlelight as the sun sets behind the church’s west-facing window. Virtually every part of the service is sung, either unaccompanied or with pipe organ. Some of the greatest music of the English and Episcopal tradition was written for Evensong. Magnificat-Boston enjoys bringing some of this traditional repertoire to parishes throughout the region.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church is located at 5 Bryant Street in Wakefield on the Upper Common at the corner of Main and Bryant Streets. The church is handicapped accessible.

For more information, contact Emmanuel Episcopal Church – 781-245-1374.