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Evensong Singers Tenth Anniversary Tour

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Duke Chapel's Evensong Singers will travel to Oxford, United Kingdom, to sing in worship services July 17–27, 2025. In the “City of Dreaming Spires,” they will perform in Choral Evensong and Eucharist services in several of the iconic chapels, each steeped in tradition and grandeur. The tour marks the tenth anniversary of the formation of the Evensong Singers and the beginning of the Chapel’s Choral Evensong services.

July 26 — A Student Reflects

A choir of four members stand in a row facing right, singing from black songbooks. All are dressed in purple robes. The man on the far left has brown hair and is looking right with his mouth open wide, mid-song.
Weston Curnow, left, sings with the Evensong Singers in Oxford, England.

Divinity student Weston Curnow, a member of the Evensong Singers, writes this reflection about his experience of the tour.

It is said that upon his first visit to Oxford, Victor Hugo remarked how the Englishman’s religion is a “peculiar one” because it “mostly consists of sitting and listening to pleasant music.” While the irreligious Hugo’s remark was likely not intended to be a pious utterance, there exists some truth in his words. 

In the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the principal text for worship still used in the Church of England, the service of Evening Prayer concludes with a number of general prayers and petitions. The “Second Collect at Evening Prayer” begins with a supplication for peace and the strength to obey God’s will. The second collect ends with “…and also that by thee we being defended from the fear of our enemies may pass our time in rest and quietness.” Perhaps the truth of Hugo’s observation lies less in his declaration of the passive nature of English religion, but rather in the quiet, almost buttressed nature of Prayer Book services. 

A wide shot of a choir performing in a grand, ornate church. The choir, consisting of about 20 people in purple robes, is divided into two sections, one on the left and one on the right, facing a conductor who stands in the center with his back to the viewer.
The ensemble sings Evensong at Exeter College Chapel.   

While Evening Prayer does profess and propagate the ancient faith of the church, it does not demand subscription to ancillary doctrine. While Evening Prayer does invite meditation and contemplation, the service should not plunge the congregant into a dark night of the soul, wrestling with the deepest, most existential parts of human life. Rather, a sung service of evening prayer, or Evensong, is about resting in the beauty of God and God’s church. Further, the choral nature of the service affords the congregant the gift of not necessarily needing to have it all figured out. Sitting in the choir stall, the congregant is free to let the words, spoken and sung, wash over them as if a slow tide rising at the beach on a warm afternoon.

Facilitating this experience for other people has been the honor and experience of a lifetime. As a seminarian, our energy is mostly focused on bringing the light of Jesus to the worst off, the homeless, the forgotten, the dying. While truly the work of Jesus, our Lord also spent much of his time in prayer, or as the Prayer Book might call it, “in rest and quietness.” Thus, spending so much time preparing for worship, whether rehearsing the music or preparing the lessons, has been a rejuvenation for my life of faith. 

A young man with light brown hair, wearing a purple robe, sings from an open black songbook. He is looking down at the book with his mouth open.
Weston Curnow sings in Merton College Chapel.

One particularly powerful moment occurred when, after officiating Evensong at Merton College, I was led back to the sacristy by the verger and asked to sign the service register. This is a book churches keep as a record of what services have been said in the church, who officiated, and how many people attended. While signing my name in the officiant’s spot, I felt the great cloud of witnesses bearing down on me—the great men and women who have stood at Merton’s officiant desk for over 800 years. This too resembles the nature of Evensong. While each officiant is merely one person, together they make up a rich and powerful tradition of faith and worship. The same is true for Evensong. While each service is a rather pleasant and quiet affair, as a tradition, Evensong represents the religious identity, spiritual aspirations, and artistic achievement of an entire people. 

By coming to sing in Oxford, I feel grateful to be a single entry in such a great and storied tradition of worship and prayer. 

A large group of approximately 25 adults stand posing for a photo outdoors. They are in front of a grand, circular, domed building made of light-colored stone with multiple columns and windows.
The Evensong Singers pose in front of the Radcliffe Camera at the University of Oxford.

July 25 — Scenes of Sacred Song

Tomorrow, the ensemble will sing in the final service of their tour of Oxford, England. Through it, they have lifted their voices in praise of God at six historic chapels in the "city dreaming of spires." They have sung anthems and service settings at the churches for which they were composed. And, the ensemble has developed a deeper understanding of the origins of the Evensong liturgy, which they lead at Duke Chapel. See more photos on our Instagram channel.

A high-angle, wide shot looking down the main aisle of a large, gothic-style church during a choir performance. The choir members, dressed in purple robes, are arranged in two sections of choir stalls facing each other in the midground. A conductor in a purple robe stands on a raised platform between them.
The Chapel's Evensong Singers sing in Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, England.

July 25 — Music that Unites the Modern and Ancient

Evensong Singers sang "O nata lux" by Lucy Walker as the opening introit music for their Choral Evensong service at Exeter College Chapel. The piece combines music from a modern composer with a text that is centuries old, a Latin hymn for the Feast of the Transfiguration. Watch the recording:

July 23 — From online Listener to IN-Person Supporter

The ensemble met up with one of its most faithful supporters, Tim Woods. In 2017, Tim discovered the Duke Chapel Evensong Singers "purely by accident" through an online search. A resident of Hereford, England, he was looking for a choral evensong to enjoy online, and from the moment he found the choir, he "really enjoyed the sound and what they were doing." That chance discovery has blossomed into years of faithful support. Since then, Tim has tuned into Duke Chapel Evensong livestreams from afar, made a visit to Durham, NC, to be with the singers, and is now visiting them during their 2025 residency in Oxford, England. Listen to Tim tell his story of going from online listener to in-person supporter:

July 21 — A Musical Moment of Whimsy and Love

The group added some whimsy to their tour today. They took the opportunity to sing at the foot of the staircase in Christ Church that was made famous by the Harry Potter movies as the entrance into Hogwarts Great Hall. Watch and listen to them perform "Set Me as a Seal" by William Walton with its text from the Song of Solomon about love conquering death.

July 20 — Expressing God's Eternity

For their first Evensong service in Oxford, at New College Chapel, the Evensong Singers sang Leo Sowerby's "Eternal Light." The piece speaks of God's eternal light, goodness, power, wisdom, and pity. Watch and listen:

July 19 — A Scenic Beginning

The Evensong Singers arrived safely in England and began rehearsing a week’s worth of service music. They are shown here in Oxford’s historic University College Chapel. See more photos on Instagram.

A low-angle, interior shot captures a large choir practice inside a chapel at Oxford University. A male conductor, seen from behind, stands on a black and white checkered floor, facing rows of students in dark wooden pews on either side of the aisle.
Dr. Philip Cave leads the Evensong Singers in a rehearsal at University College Chapel.

July 16 — Great Expectations

Before departing to Oxford, English, members of the Chapel's Evensong Singers share what they are looking forward to on the trip.

From centuries-old anthems to works by living composers, the music on this tour will span generations. In some cases, the singers will perform in the very chapels where these pieces were first heard.

As our Conductor-in-Residence Dr. Phillip Cave puts it, “We’re tapping into what really inspires our work here.”

July 13 — A final sweet Rehearsal

In their final rehearsal before departing for the their tour in Oxford, England, the Chapel's Evensong Singers sang "Listen, sweet dove" with music by Grayston Ives (b. 1948) and words by George Herbert (1593–1633).

Schedule of Public Services

Sunday, July 20
10:30 a.m. — Sung Eucharist at The University Church of St Mary the Virgin
6:00 p.m. — Choral Evensong at New College

Monday, July 21
6:05 p.m. — Choral Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral

Tuesday, July 22
4:00 p.m. — Choral Evensong at Merton College

Thursday, July 24
6:00 p.m. — Choral Evensong at Exeter College

Friday, July 25
6:00 p.m. — Choral Evensong at Magdalen College

Saturday, July 26
6:05 p.m. — Joint Choral Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral with The Cathedral Singers

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