"O Lord, open Thou our lips"

Today I sang my first ever evensong service -- as a soprano in Jesus College Choir. It was terrifically good fun.

We rehearsed for about an hour in the late afternoon, took a break for tea, and then processed into chapel wearing our academic gowns. Jesus Chapel is fairly small, about the same size as the one at Brasenose, but has a good regular attendance. Ollie, the senior organ scholar, and Peter, his junior, take it in turns to conduct the choir -- this was Peter's week. The choir members seem friendly enough and glad to be there. I'm going to love this.

For anyone interested in such details, the musical lineup was as follows:

Preces and Responses: Howarth
Psalm 119:1-16
Canticles: Sumsion in A
Anthem: Hide Not Thou Thy Face, Farrant

Hymns:
Thou Whose Almighty Word
The Church's One Foundation
Christ is Made the Sure Foundation

Jesus College also provides voice lessons for choir members with Matthew Venner, a former choral scholar at New College who currently sings with the Sixteen. My first lesson is tomorrow morning -- very exciting.