PITTSBURGH, Pa. (PTTP) – On Sunday evenings in Heinz Chapel at 8 pm, you can hear the sounds of handbells and majestic melodies brought to you by the Pittsburgh Compline Choir. Compline is a late-night liturgy almost entirely sung and a form of worship known to few.
The Pittsburgh Compline Choir was first formed by John W. Becker, a composer and avid Lutheran organist, to promote and teach the singing of chant in 1988. The chant sung by the Compline Choir includes, but is not limited to, Gregorian chant, plainsong psalmody, Anglican chant, Russian Orthodox chant, and newly composed chant. The choir also performs Lutheran chorales, anthems and motets from the Anglican choral tradition, polyphonic motets, and hymns in a variety of styles.
Today the Pittsburgh Compline Choir is led by Dr. Mark Boyle, the current Director of Choral Activities at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The choir is made up of volunteers who are students, engineers, physicists, university faculty members, nurses, and more by day. Jess Sapp, a choir member since September 2022, says “Singing in Heinz Chapel on Sunday nights is such an astonishing experience. Not everyone gets the chance to sing in this historic chapel. Although I didn’t attend Pitt, it means the world to me that I get to sing in this beautiful, sacred space every Sunday and share in the tradition of singing in the Compline choir.”
A new initiative began this year to help students become more involved in the ensemble. Four scholarships will be presented to students who sing with the ensemble each Sunday during the academic calendar year. For anyone interested in joining the choir, please contact Dr. Boyle at MAB@markboyle.com to set up an audition.
