Choir Reaches Global Audience

In anticipation of their upcoming 20th International Tour planned for the summer of 2026, the St. Mark’s Choir was recently selected to be part of a British documentary film focused on the evolution and contemporary practice of Evensong services around the world. With a rich tradition dating back to the 1950s with rigorous training through the Royal School of Church Music, the St. Mark’s Choir has consistently earned international acclaim and performed in some of the most prominent cathedrals around the world. The upcoming film features only two choirs from outside the United Kingdom, including a choir from the Netherlands alongside the St. Mark’s Choir.  

Next July the Choir will sing nightly Evensong services in both Durham Cathedral and Westminster Abbey as part of their two-week biennial tour. Having traveled extensively in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, St. Mark’s choristers have developed a strong reputation as one of the world’s leading choirs that carries forward the rich tradition of Anglican choral music.  

“I joined the choir as a sixth grader in 1989 and went on my first tour the following summer,” said Zachary Erwin, Ph.D. ’96, Language Department Chair and former St. Mark’s chorister. “It was my first time away from home, my first time out of the country, and my first time on an airplane. Traveling with the Choir under the direction of longtime Choirmaster Jim Livengood felt both safe and familiar, and at the same time like a great adventure. While I wasn’t aware of it at the time, those experiences stayed with me and later contributed to my desire to study Spanish and, ultimately, to become a teacher.”

From performing the national anthem at various north Texas games and events to singing in residence at major cathedrals around the world, the Choir has consistently upheld the highest standards of dedication, excellence, and teamwork. As one of the few programs that includes boys across all three divisions of the School, the St. Mark’s Choir brings together boys from fourth through twelfth grade and highlights the creative potential and impact of a large ensemble. The St. Mark’s Choir currently includes more than 80 Marksmen across nine grades.

Evensong has been a mainstay of the St. Mark’s Choir over many decades, an Anglican church service focused on singing psalms and biblical canticles that dates back to antiquity. In addition to monthly Evensong services, on Tuesday, December 16, the Choir will host St. Mark’s 74th Annual Festival of Lessons & Carols in the Chapel. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m., an organ prelude begins at 6:30 p.m. and the service begins at 7:00 p.m. Lessons & Carols is open to the community, but please be aware that it routinely attracts a very large crowd.

As St. Mark’s Choirmaster and Organist Glenn Stroh recently reflected, “Choral music in North Texas has been thriving for quite some time, and we are very fortunate to help be the custodians of this wonderful music and tradition.” Mr. Stroh is supported by Tinsley Silcox who continues to guide the Upper School Choir, having previously served as Choirmaster for nearly a decade.

The new documentary film, Lighten Our Darkness: Illuminating Choral Evensong, will honor and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Dallas Canticles, composed by English composer and organist, Herbert Howells. Several notable locations in the United Kingdom will be featured, from Oxford and Cambridge’s collegiate chapels to the great cathedrals of Winchester, Salisbury, and more, as well as leaders in the English choral tradition, notably British composer John Rutter and Andrew Nethsingha, now Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, emphasizing the global resonance of the time-honored tradition of Evensong. 

“These are very complicated pieces of music,” said chorister Thomas Costa ’29. “Knowing that they were composed specifically for Dallas makes our choir feel like we have a special role in presenting this music to the world.” 

In moments like these, Marksmen are reminded that St. Mark’s does more than teach boys to sing; it preserves a tradition of beauty, discipline, and artistic aspiration that enriches not only the School but the broader Dallas community and the world beyond.