Hello St. Paul’s,
During Lent, the Cathedral calls us to slow down, to pray, and to listen more deeply. We often think of this season in terms of what we give up or what we take on spiritually. But perhaps one of the most important Lenten disciplines is learning to listen — to God, to one another, and to the quiet spaces within ourselves.
On Saturday, March 7 at 7:00 PM, I invite you to join us for a special evening designed around that kind of listening: ECHO: A Lenten Service of Music and Silence.
Rather than a traditional concert, this gathering is intended as a time of prayerful listening. Sacred works by Arvo Pärt, Antonio Lotti, Josef Rheinberger, and Ola Gjeilo will be offered without spoken commentary and without applause, allowing space simply to rest in the sound and in the stillness that follows. The service will conclude in silence, so that all may depart quietly and unhurried.
What exactly is this event — a concert or a worship service? It is not a concert presented inside a church, and it is not a typical spoken liturgy. It is a public listening experience structured through music. It is open to anyone in the community. Participation does not require religious background. Listening itself becomes the form of participation.
Choral music communicates through both language and sound. We hear the words, but we also experience resonance physically in the space. Meaning emerges from the relationship between text, harmony, and acoustics. In this way, sound and silence together become teachers.
The repertoire spans centuries of sacred music. Works by Lotti and Rheinberger represent historic church traditions, while Arvo Pärt — whose 90th birthday we are acknowledging — and contemporary composer Ola Gjeilo reflect how the sacred tradition continues to unfold in our own time.
This service is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of Cathedral Music (FOCM) and is offered free and open to the public.
The service ends in silence. There is no postlude and no applause. The silence is intentional — not an absence, but a final response. In keeping silence together, the congregation completes what the music has begun. The Lenten journey does not conclude within the walls of the Cathedral, but continues outward into prayer, relationship, and lived faith.
If you are seeking a spacious and reflective way to engage this season, I hope you will join us.
Warmly,
Seonjeong Park
Interim Choir Director
