It’s been a year of celebration for Saint Paul’s Church, and at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 9, the debut of a special evensong will be presented to cap the church’s 275th anniversary.
Through a $25,000 Porter Fleming Foundation grant, British composer Malcolm Archer was commissioned to write settings of the Preces and Responses, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, and the anthem to commemorate the anniversary. Archer will be in Augusta to conduct the evensong’s premiere.
The Saint Paul’s Choir will sing accompanied by Keith Shafer on the organ.
“Malcolm Archer is a phenomenal composer,” said Shafer.
Archer’s distinguished career has taken him to the posts of Organist and Director of Music at three English Cathedrals: Bristol, Wells, and St. Paul’s, London, and for 11 years, Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College. He has for many years directed the choir for the Jean Langlais Festival in France.
As a conductor and composer, he has traveled the globe, directing choirs and courses in the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Europe. As an orchestral conductor, he has worked with the London Mozart Players, City of London Sinfonia and the BBC Concert Orchestra in addition to many other professional groups. He conducted a performance of John Rutter’s Requiem for the composer’s 70th birthday concert in the Temple Church, London, in the presence of the composer and recorded by Classic FM, and for several years, his choir in Winchester sang for the Classic FM Carol Concert. He also conducted the 20th anniversary performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Requiem’ in St. Paul’s Cathedral, according to a news release.
Evensong is an Anglican vespers service. Usually about 50 minutes long, the service has no sermon or offering and it’s almost entirely sung.
“It’s a very moving spiritual experience,” said Shafer of evensong.
The works will live on past their debut, Shafer said. They’ve been published and will be available for other choirs across the globe.
This is the second musical event related to the church’s anniversary in 2025 Earlier this year, another set of commissioned works (also part of the Porter Fleming grant) by Michael Burkhardt premiered.
A reception in the River Room will follow the Nov. 9 service, and the public is invited to attend.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here..
