Imperial Chamber Choir sing ancient and contemporary music creating a contemplative space in which to find stillness, be reflective and ponder your day. People of different faith traditions and world views find Choral Evensong a welcoming meditative time to pause between work and commuting.
Enjoy the beautiful space of Holy Trinity and let yourself be surrounded by glorious music.
Open to all members of the College, staff and students from the RCA and RCM, and the public.
The service happens every two weeks in term-time. Next service is on Wednesday 4th March.
This week’s theme.
Modern Mystics: Thomas Merton, the Contemplative.
Exploring the life and work of Thomas Merton, Trappist monk, writer, and interfaith activist.
This week’s music.
The music changes for each service according to the theme and the season. The Psalm setting is usually a new composition each week by one of our talented current Imperial students.
This week the opening Anthem is the first of Three Sacred Hymns by the German-Russian composer Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998).
The Verses and Responses are by Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656).
The musical setting for the Psalm is by Francis Melville (Imperial College, School of Medicine).
The tunes for the songs Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis are this week by Thomas Tallis (c.1505 –1585) from his Short Service.
The closing Anthem is Holy is the True Light, by William Harris (1883-1973)
What is Evensong?
The service of Evensong is sung every day in cathedrals and monasteries. The service uses a variety of choir pieces known as anthems and musical settings for key texts from the Bible. The settings and anthems change each week and will come from different periods of history right up to the present day. This service is part of the long tradition of English sacred choral music in universities and colleges.
Amid the music, there is a short time for personal prayer or reflection. The service is a collaboration between Imperial College Chamber Choir, the Chaplaincy Multi-Faith Team, and Holy Trinity Church.
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