Organ by Night
The return of in-person Compline services also marks the return of another favorite late-night musical event: post-Compline organ music! These informal mini-concerts have introduced generations of Seattleites to the power and beauty of a real pipe organ. All are welcome to listen in the nave, or join the organist in the loft to see what playing an instrument of this size is really like. (The radio program The Organ Loft, which airs on KING-FM immediately following Compline each week, was inspired by this tradition.) A Q&A in the loft usually follows the performance.
The new iteration of this offering, called Organ by Night, will be offered once a month, on the third Sunday of each month. Learn more here.
2023 Organ by Night organists:
The Women's Compline Choir of Saint Mark'sÂ
In the summer of 2019, the men of the Compline Choir traveled to the U.K. for two weeks, serving residencies in Canterbury and Salisbury. To cover the services during absence, Saint Mark's Associate Musician Rebekah Gilmore was asked to assemble an all-female choir, comprising some of the most accomplished choral singers in the Seattle area. The services they sang, the first all-female services in the 63-year history of Compline at Saint Mark's, were deeply moving to many, and may be heard here.
The Women's Compline Choir now gathers to chant the service several times each year, usually in the summer. Although during the pandemic of 2020 the full choir could not assemble, a quartet of singers drawn from the women's choir chanted the office on July 19 & 26, 2020. The full complement of singers gathered again on July 18 & 25, 2021, although the services were closed to the public. At last, on July 17 & 24, 2022, a full choir featuring some of the finest choral singers in the region gathered for an in-person Compline liturgy open to one and all. Their next services will be JULYÂ 30 & AUGUST 6, 2023.
Learn much more about the Women's Compline Choir, with photos and video, here.Â
