Music
Music plays a large part in the liturgical life of St. Luke’s. There are hymns and organ music at the weekly 8:00AM Rite I Eucharist; the Choir is present for the 11:00AM Sung Eucharist Rite II; and on the Third Sunday of the month at 4:30PM we sing Choral Evensong. In addition to the regular services the Choir sings for feast days including Advent Lessons & Carols, and is joined by Strings or Brass for Christmas and Easter.
The Choir has made several tours and CD recordings in recent years, including cathedral residencies at Gloucester, the National Cathedral, Ripon, and Dublin. Below you can find a selection of music from recent services and information on our latest CD: True Light – music from the gospel tradition.
In Concert at St. Luke's
This series is a gift to the People of St. Luke’s, and the Arts Community of San Antonio. Please join us for these concerts, and invite friends to celebrate with us!
Our Latest CD, True Light
Click here to reserve your copy now. CD or USB $20.
All proceeds go towards our choir tour to Durham Cathedral.
St. Luke's Choir
St. Luke’s Choir is an adult ensemble made up of four section leaders and six choral scholars. We are joined by a complement of volunteers. Rehearsals are at 7 PM on Wednesday evenings, lasting two hours. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Russell Jackson by email of phone at: russellj@slecsa.org or 210-828-6425.
Choral Evensong
The Office of Evensong has its roots in the monastic tradition when monks would sing the liturgical hours throughout the night and day. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer combined the Magnificat from Vespers with the Nunc dimittis from Compline, and this was a foundation stone of the Anglican Choral Tradition. Over the centuries many composers have written specific pieces for these texts along with Choral Responses and the Psalms for the Day. There is a line in the Book of Common Prayer (1662) that reads: In quires and places where they sing, here followeth the anthem. The anthem would be something appropriate to the season and would act as a meditation or inspiration to the listener. Third Sunday of each Month at 4:30PM, October through May.
The Reuter Organ
Our new organ, built by Reuter Organs, is designed to perform the French Romantic repertoire as embodied in the works of Franck, Widor, Vierne, through to Dupré and Messiaen. French symphonic organs are designed to be warm and colorful which make good instruments for church accompaniment as well as representing the most exciting school or organ music.
There are more than 50 ranks and 3,000 plus pipes, the smallest being about 1/4 inch in length and the largest being 16 feet long.
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, 2023
In July 2023 our choir enjoyed the amazing opportunity to travel to Dublin, Ireland where they sang in residence at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Below are links to the YouTube recordings of select services from that trip.