Calvary Episcopal Church: Architectural Tour and Choral Evensong

The Calvary Choir, one of the foremost Episcopal church choirs in the country, will present the Choral Evensong service on Sunday, October 6, during a free public event at Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside that includes docent-led tours. Photo courtesy of Calvary Episcopal Church.

Sunday, October 6, 2019

• 4:00 PM: Architectural tours by the Calvary Architectural History Committee
• 5:00 PM: Choral Evensong sung by the Calvary Choir
• 5:45 PM: Brief organ recital
• 6:15 PM: Reception in the Parish Hall

PHLF members and friends are invited to a free event on Sunday, October 6, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Reservations are not needed.

The church, designed in 1905-07 by Boston architect Ralph Adams Cram, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Combining the visual experience of architectural detail with this musical program offers an opportunity to physically experience the way in which Cram expressed his ideas through liturgy and music.

• Members of Calvary’s Architectural History Committee will lead tours of the church beginning at 4:00 p.m.
• The Calvary Choir will perform the brief service of Choral Evensong at 5:00 p.m., illustrating what Cram called “the greatest artistic achievement.”
• Dr. Alan Lewis, Director of Music, will perform a composition by Bach on the organ at 5:45 p.m.
• A reception will follow in the Parish Hall.

Ralph Adams Cram is well known nationally for completing the design of The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City and for designing chapels at West Point, Wellesley, and Princeton, as well as numerous libraries and other Modern Gothic buildings throughout the United States.

In the Pittsburgh region, in addition to Calvary Episcopal Church, Cram 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.