Choral Evensong
Choral beauty, stillness, and shared prayer
Sunday, February 14, 2027, 4:00 pm
On St. James by-the-Sea sings Choral Evensong, one of the Anglican tradition's most beautiful forms of worship. Come experience an hour of choral beauty, stillness, and shared prayer in the resonant sanctuary of St. Evensong is shaped by a pattern that has ordered Anglican prayer for centuries. Psalms, scripture readings, canticles, responses, prayers, and an anthem unfold with little interruption, allowing music and text to create a sustained atmosphere of attention. Those attending are not asked to follow a concert program or participate continuously; they may simply listen, pray, and allow the words and music to settle. The timing on St. Valentine's Day gives the service a quiet resonance without turning it into a themed celebration. At its heart, Evensong is concerned with love in a deeper Christian sense: faithful prayer, mercy, reconciliation, and the offering of the day's work back to God. James gives unaccompanied voices space to unfold while preserving the clarity of the text, and the organ supports the liturgy with color and breadth. Whether Evensong is already part of your spiritual life or entirely new to you, this service offers an accessible hour apart from the pace of the week. It is worship rather than a ticketed concert, open to the public and free of charge. All are welcome. James by-the-Sea sustains a tradition in which choral music is not decoration added to worship, but one of the principal ways the liturgy speaks. The singers' work joins musical discipline to the demands of prayer: precise words, long spans of attention, and a sound responsive to both the architecture and the meaning of the text. Evensong also offers a particularly welcoming entry into Anglican worship. The congregation is given relatively little to do, and there is no expectation that visitors arrive knowing the responses or the shape of the office. No ticket or reservation is required.
About the Artist
The Choir of St. James by-the-Sea is the principal adult choir of St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in La Jolla, California. Rooted in the Anglican choral tradition, the ensemble sings each week for Holy Eucharist and leads the parish’s major services throughout the church year. Its repertoire extends from Renaissance polyphony and the great works of the English cathedral tradition to contemporary sacred music, spirituals, and newly composed works.
The Choir has presented major works within the liturgy, including Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, and regularly sings Choral Evensong, Lessons and Carols, and other special observances. In July 2026, the ensemble served as choir-in-residence at Wells Cathedral and concluded its English pilgrimage with Choral Evensong at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Under the direction of Alex Benestelli, the Choir seeks to unite musical excellence with the central purpose of sacred music: illuminating scripture, enriching worship, and giving voice to the prayer of the gathered community.