St. Mary of the Hills Presents First Evensong and Organ Recital of the Season, May 12

St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church presents the first organ recital and choral evensong of the season this Sunday, May 12th. Guest organist Dr. Adam Ward begins his recital at 3 p.m., and evensong follows immediately at 3:30, in the nave of the church.

 

Dr. Ward is the Director of Music at Providence United Methodist Church in Charlotte, and is a much sought-after performer in both sacred and secular settings. He received his Doctor, Master, and Bachelor of Music degrees in Organ Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he also studied piano, harpsichord, voice, and choral conducting. He has performed throughout the Eastern United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy, and his recording “For the Beauty of the Earth” has been featured on the nationally-syndicated radio broadcast Pipe Dreams.

 

The choir of St. Mary’s regularly studies with leading English choral directors, and this spring worked with Tim Brown, Director Emeritus of the Clare College choir in Cambridge, U.K. Brown is well-known from his choirs’ many recordings of traditional Anglican music and this year made his first-ever trip to Blowing Rock to work with the choir on its home turf.The introit for this month’s Evensong is Batten’s lively O sing joyfully, and the anthem is Orlando di Lasso’s Surrexit pastor bonus (The Good Shepherd is Arisen). Service music is Spicer’s Preces and Responses, and Magnificat and Nunc dimittis by Walmisley. There will be a small reception in the parish hall following the service, so you can talk to Dr. Ward and to choir members about the music.

Evensong is sung daily at Anglican cathedrals and churches around the world and offers an opportunity for rest and reflection in the midst of our stressful lives. A large part of the St. Mary of the Hills choir’s study on trips abroad is attending Evensong each evening in the ancient chapels of the various colleges that make up Cambridge University and experiencing this lovely service with some of the finest choirs in the world.

The choir of St. Mary’s sings Evensong one Sunday each month through October, and everyone is welcome.  The church is located on Main Street in Blowing Rock.  For more information on this service, please contact St. Mary of the Hills at 828.295.7323, or follow us on Facebook @ MusicfromStMaryoftheHills.