Calvary Episcopal Church Special Event Combines Public Tours, Art, Architecture, and Music

Sunday, October 7, 2018

• 4:00 PM: Docent-led tours begin
• 5:00 PM: Choral Evensong
• 6:00 PM: Chatham Baroque Performance
• 6:30 PM: Reception in Parish Hall

Calvary Episcopal Church at Shady Avenue and Walnut Street in Shadyside. Photo courtesy of Steel City Drones.

PHLF members and friends are invited to a free event on Sunday, October 7, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. The church, designed in 1905-07 by Boston architect Ralph Adams Cram, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The program will help participants appreciate how Cram wove his ideas of space, sound, and ceremony into his buildings. Reservations are not needed.

Cram’s architecture is well known in the Pittsburgh region. In addition to Calvary, he designed First Presbyterian Church (1913-19) in Greensburg; Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church (1926-31) in Homewood; and East Liberty Presbyterian Church (1930-35). First Baptist Church (1909-12) in Oakland was designed by Cram’s firm and partner, Bertram Grosvenor  Goodhue.

Calvary Episcopal Church will be open on Sunday, October 7 for docent-led tours between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m., followed by two brief musical performances: the Calvary Choir will present a service of Choral Evensong, and Chatham Baroque and Alan Lewis, Calvary’s Music Director, will present a brief concert to celebrate Calvary’s new harpsichord. The evening will conclude with a sherry reception in the Parish Hall.

This program is a unique opportunity to experience the way in which Ralph Adams Cram expressed his architectural ideas through music and liturgy. After seeing the architectural features of the church during the docent-led tours, guests will be able to reflect on these ideas while listening to the music of the Choral Evensong service. Choral Evensong––evening prayer in song––is heard in English Cathedrals and collegiate churches such as Cambridge and Oxford at the evening hour. The Calvary Choir is one of the foremost Episcopal church choirs in the country, regularly performing at Cathedrals and churches in Washington and New York.

The program is free and open to the public. The Reverend Jonathon Jensen is Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church and Dr. Alan Lewis is Director of Music.