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About Choral Evensong
Choral Evensong is aired twice weekly - live at 3.30pm on Wednesday and repeated at 4pm Sunday.
Choral Evensong was first broadcast on Thursday 7 October 1926 live from Westminster Abbey and has been broadcast weekly on BBC Radio ever since.
- It is the longest running outside broadcast in the world
- Now visiting a different venue every week
- Featuring many new commissions, particularly in 2012 the Choirbook for the Queen, the anthology of music to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee
- Regularly broadcasting from Festivals in this country and abroad
If you would like to be in the congregation for Choral Evensong, please be seated by 3.15pm. -
Choral Evensong Advance Schedule
Here are the services coming up in the next few months on Choral Evensong.
Weds 3rd April
St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol
with RSCM Millennium Youth Choir
(rpt Sun 7th April)
Introit: Sing ye to the Lord (Bairstow)
Office hymn: Christ the Lord is risen again (Würtemburg)
Psalms: 141, 105 vv1-15 (Ogden, Ouseley)
First Lesson: Exodus 12 vv37-end
Canticles: (Roxanna Panufnik - 1st broadcast)
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15 vv20-28
Anthems: Alleluia (Owain Park - 1st broadcast); O filii et filiæ (Philip Moore - 1st broadcast)
Hymn: Thine be the glory (Maccabæus)
Organ Voluntary: Live Wire (Iain Farrington - 1st broadcast)
Director: David Ogden
Organist: Daniel Moult
Wed 10th April
Church of the London Oratory
(rpt. Sun 14th April)
Organ: Prélude du huitième ton (Nivers)
Invitatory: (Croce)
Psalms 109-112, 116 (Gregorian chant)
Hymn: Iste confessor (Gregorian chant and Frescobaldi)
Magnificat secundi toni (Quanti in mille anni) (Lassus)
O salutaris Hostia (Gregorian chant)
Tantum ergo (Duruflé)
Regina caeli à 7 (Lassus)
Organ: Offertoire sur O filii et filiae ( Lebègue)
Celebrant: Rev. Father George Bowen
Director of Music: Patrick Russill
Organist: Matthew Martin
Wed 17th April
Truro Cathedral
(rpt. Sun 21st April)
Responses: Rose
Office Hymn: Walking in a garden (Dun Aluinn)
Psalm 89 (Bairstow, Hopkins)
First Lesson: Genesis 3 vv8-21
Canticles: The Truro Service (First broadcast) (Russell Pascoe)
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15 vv12-28
Anthems: Cantate Domino (First broadcast) (Gabriel Jackson); Ave Maris Stella (First broadcast) (Paul Drayton)
Hymn: Come, ye faithful, raise the strain (St John Damascene)
Organ voluntary: "Organ" (Graham Fitkin)
Christopher Gray (Director of Music)
Luke Bond (Assistant Director of Music)
Wed 24th April
Wells Cathedral on the Eve of the Feast of Mark the Evangelist
(rpt. Sun 28th April)
Introit: How beautiful upon the mountains (Stainer)
Responses: Clucas
Psalm 119 vv1-32 (Gauntlett, Martin, Archer, Elvey)
First Lesson: Isaiah 52 vv7-10
Office Hymn: The saint who first found grace to pen (Brockham)
Canticles: Stanford in C
Second Lesson: Mark 1 vv1-15
Anthem: The spirit of the Lord (Prologue from 'The Apostles') (Elgar)
Final Hymn: Sing Alleluya forth ye saints on high (Martins)
Organ Voluntary: Imperial March (Elgar arr. Martin)
Matthew Owens (Organist and Master of the Choristers)
Jonathan Vaughn (Assistant Organist)
Wed 1st May
The Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge with the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra
(rpt. Sun 5th May)
Introit: My beloved spake (Hadley)
Responses: Radcliffe
Psalm 149 (Alcock arr. S.Cleobury)
First Lesson: Job 23 vv1-12
Canticles: Stanford in A
Second Lesson: John 1 vv43-end
Anthem: Ascribe unto the Lord (S.S. Wesley)
Hymn: Thou art the Way (St James - descant: S.Cleobury)
Organ Voluntary: Finale from Variations on an Original Theme ('Enigma') (Elgar)
Stephen Cleobury (Director of Music)
Parker Ramsay and Douglas Tang (Organ Scholars)
Wed 8th May
St John’s College, Cambridge with St John’s Sinfonia on the eve of Ascension Day
(rpt. Sun 12th May)
Responses: Clucas
Psalm 15 (C. Gibbons)
First Lesson: 2 Samuel 23 vv1-5
Canticles: Primi Toni (Durante)
Second Lesson: Colossians 2 v20 - 3 v4
Anthem: Lobet Gott In seinen Reichen, BWV 11 (Ascension Oratorio) (JS Bach)
Organ Voluntary: Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn, BWV 630 (JS Bach)
Andrew Nethsingha (Director of Music)
Freddie James and Edward Picton-Turbervill (Organ Students)
St John's Sinfonia
Wed 15th May
St Pancras Church, London as part of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music
(rpt. Sun 19th May)
Introit: As watchmen look to the morning (Gordon Crosse) (1st broadcast)
Responses: Ronald Corp (1st performance)
Office Hymn: Rejoice, the year upon its way (Gilmour)
Psalms: 36, 46 (Léon Charles)
First Lesson: 1 Kings 19 vv1-18
St Pancras Canticles (Philip Moore) (1st performance)
Second Lesson: Matthew 3 vv13-end
Anthem: Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire (Diana Burrell) (1st broadcast)
Final Hymn: Come down, O love divine (Down Ampney)
Organ Voluntary: Chaconne for Jonathan Harvey (Ed Hughes) (1st performance)
Christopher Batchelor (Director of Music)
Michael Waldron (Assistant Organist)
Wed 22nd May
(No repeat)
The Chapel of New College, Oxford
Introit: The dove descending (Stravinsky)
Responses: Leighton
Psalms: 108, 109 vv1-4, vv20-30 (Turle, Barnby, Rimbault, Crotch)
First Lesson: Joshua 3 vv7-end
Canticles: Second Service (Leighton)
Second Lesson: Luke 9 vv37-50
Anthem: Rejoice in the Lamb (Britten)
Hymn: O Thou who camest from above (Hereford)
Organ Voluntary: Choral varié sur le thème du Veni Creator (Duruflé)
Edward Higginbottom (Director of Music)
Steven Grahl (Assistant Organist)
Wed 29th May
St Davids Cathedral during the 2013 Cathedral Festival
(rpt. Sun 2nd June)
Introit: Ave verum corpus (Colin Mawby)
Responses: Matthew Martin
Psalms: 110, 111 (S.S.Wesley, Elvey)
First Lesson: Exodus 16 vv2-15
Canticles: St Davids Service (Neil Cox) (first performance)
Second Lesson: John 6 vv22-35
Anthem: Lo! God is here! (Philip Moore)
Hymn: All for Jesus (Stainer)
Festival Te Deum in E (Britten)
Organ Voluntary: Allegro Agitato (from Organ Sonata) (Philip Moore)
Daniel Cook (Organist and Master of the Choristers)
Simon Pearce (Assistant Organist)
Wed 5th June
(rpt. Sun 9th June)
An archive broadcast from Canterbury Cathedral, first transmitted on 7th February 1988, marking the Accession of Her Majesty The Queen.
Introit: O Lord, make thy servant, Elizabeth (Byrd)
Responses: Anthony Piccolo
Psalms 20, 101, 121 (Felton, Cooper, Walford Davies)
First Lesson: Joshua 1 vv1-9
Canticles: Brian Chapple
Second Lesson: Revelation 21v22 - 22v4
Anthem: Zadok the Priest (Handel)
Hymn: The National Anthem
Organ voluntary: Orb and Sceptre (Walton)
Organist: Allan Wicks
Assistant Organist: Michael Harris
Wed 12th June
CHORAL VESPERS - Leeds Cathedral
(rpt. Sun 16th June)
Organ prelude: Chant de Paix (Langlais)
Introit: Anima Christi (Marco Frisina)
Responses: Deus in adjutorium (Plainsong)
Office Hymn: Caeli Deus sanctissime (Plainsong)
Psalms: 62, 67 (Saunders, Roberts, Bevenot)
Reading: Acts 2 vv29-42
Motet: Cibavit eos (Byrd)
Homily: Canon Christopher Irving
Magnificat (Perosi)
Anthem: Tu Rex gloriae (Gounod)
Marian Antiphon: Salve regina (Plainsong)
Organ Postlude: Symphonic Canzona Op.85 No.3 (Karg-Elert)
Director of Music: Benjamin Saunders
Organist: Daniel Justin
Wed 19th June
St Paul's Cathedral
(rpt. Sun 23rd June)
Introit: Hymn of St Godric (Britten)
Responses: Richard Sheppard
Psalm 119 vv81-104 (Gauntlett, Armes, Marchant)
First Lesson: Isaiah 5 vv8-24
Canticles: Chichester Service (Walton)
Second Lesson: James 1 vv17-25
Anthem: Hymn to St Paul (Judith Bingham) (first performance)
Hymn: Earth's fragile beauties we possess (Kingsfold) (harmonised by Vaughan Williams)
Organ Voluntary: Toccata for Organ and Tape (Harvey)
Andrew Carwood (Director of Music)
Simon Johnson (Organist)
Wed 26th June
York Minster
(rpt. Sun 30th June)
With Jonathan Swain. Ols Cinxo is the soloist in Mendelssohn's D minor Violin Concerto.