Compline by Candlelight — Lent
An ancient service of night prayer
Wednesdays during Lent at 8:00 pm
Come to St. James on Wednesday evenings during Lent. This ancient service of night prayer offers a peaceful close to the day through candlelight, silence, scripture, and unaccompanied sacred music. Compline is the church's final office of the day, a concise liturgy in which the day's activity is gathered into prayer before rest. Its psalms, short reading, responses, hymnody, and petitions speak with particular directness during Lent, a season devoted to self-examination, repentance, and renewal. The congregation may sit in stillness, listen to the unaccompanied voices, and enter the rhythm of words that have carried generations of worshippers through darkness toward trust. Candlelight changes the experience of the familiar sanctuary, softening its architecture and drawing attention toward sound, silence, and the people gathered for prayer. The music is chosen to serve the liturgy rather than interrupt it, with polyphony, chant, and other sacred repertoire creating a continuous contemplative atmosphere. Each Wednesday service stands on its own, so visitors may attend once or return throughout Lent as the season deepens. No previous familiarity with Compline or Episcopal worship is necessary. The series is free and open to the public, offering musicians, worshippers, neighbors, and anyone carrying the pressures of the week a beautiful and unforced way to end the day. The Schola Cantorum's chamber scale brings particular focus to the words and interweaving lines of the music. In this setting, listeners can hear how a phrase passes from one voice to another, how dissonance resolves, and how the acoustic extends a cadence into silence. The ensemble sings with the precision of a professional choir while preserving the inward character appropriate to night prayer. Nothing is presented for applause; the musical sequence remains part of a single liturgical action from the opening sentence to the final blessing.
About the Artist
The Schola Cantorum of St. James by-the-Sea is a small professional vocal ensemble dedicated to the performance of sacred choral music within its liturgical setting. Drawing upon the breadth of the Western choral tradition, the Schola’s repertoire includes Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, Anglican music, and works by contemporary composers.
The ensemble’s chamber scale allows for exceptional clarity, flexibility, and intimacy, qualities particularly suited to unaccompanied repertoire and the resonant acoustic of St. James by-the-Sea. The Schola sings for Choral Evensong, Compline by Candlelight, and other services requiring the precision and expressive range of a professional chamber choir. It also leads an annual Advent Procession of Lessons and Carols in St. Mary’s Chapel at The Bishop’s School.
Directed by Alex Benestelli, the Schola approaches sacred music not simply as concert repertoire, but as a living part of worship. Through attentive ensemble singing, clear communication of text, and thoughtful programming, it creates space for reflection, prayer, and renewed encounters with centuries of choral tradition.