The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist in San Francisco and the Endersnight ensemble are launching a new monthly series called Night Music at St. John's featuring the ancient service of Compline sung by Endersnight. The debut event will take place on June 21 at 8:30 pm at St. John's, featuring Gregorian chant and music by composers such as Pérotin, Brumel and Tallis performed by the newly formed Endersnight vocal ensemble. Night Music at St. John's aims to provide an extension of spiritual outreach through the Anglican Office of Compline, and will continue on the third Sunday of each month.

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SAN FRANCISCO, June 2, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT
Sam Smith
415.246.5727 | smithsw@sbcglobal.net
ANNOUNCING THE LAUNCH OF NIGHT MUSIC AT ST. JOHN'S
A NEW COMPLINE SERIES IN SAN FRANCISCO
FEATURING THE DEBUT OF
VOCAL ENSEMBLE ENDERSNIGHT
WITH MUSIC BY PEROTIN, BRUMEL,
TALLIS AND MORE
JUNE 21
AT
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
IN SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco, CA – The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist and the Endersnight
ensemble announce the debut of Night Music at St. John's, an inclusive evening service of music and
prayer based on the ancient service of Compline. The event introduces Endersnight, a mixed-voice choir
making its debut with Gregorian and Anglican chant as well as music by Pérotin, Brumel, Tallis and other

2. master composers of the Medieval and Renaissance eras. The new monthly series begins Sunday, June 21
at 8:30 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist, 1661 Fifteenth Street at Julian Avenue,
San Francisco. A reception follows at 9 p.m.
Night Music at St. John's will provide an important extension of spiritual outreach in the
neighborhood for St. John’s and offer a sacred experience not widely available to Bay Area Christian
communities today. “The Anglican Office of Compline originates in the ancient monastic tradition of
ending the day in prayer,” says Fr. Richard Smith, vicar of St. John’s. “In line with that tradition, we
invite you to end your weekend with us at St. John's in tranquility in our candle-lit, sacred space,
surrounded by ancient and powerful chant and anthems.”
Endersnight founder Daniel Pickens-Jones, for whom Night Music is the culmination of a dream
years in the making, notes that the series fills a vital niche in the region’s musical and spiritual
communities. “Some of the greatest music ever written is also the least performed to a high musical
standard. Endersnight strives to give moving and convincing performances of ancient masterworks in the
setting for which they are intended, for listeners of all walks of life who seek a sense of awe.”
Endersnight will continue to present Night Music throughout the summer and into the fall on the
third Sunday of every month at 8:30 p.m at St. John’s. The event is free; all are welcome regardless of
religious affiliation. Seating is available, and cushions or mats are encouraged.
About Endersnight:
Taking its name from the 15th
-century English carol “This Enders Night,” Endersnight is an a cappella vocal
ensemble specializing in the performance of sacred polyphonic choral repertoire of the 14-16th
centuries.
Members of the choir are veterans of the leading professional choral groups of the San Francisco Bay Area,
including Chanticleer, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, American Bach
Soloists, Clerestory, Volti and the Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, among others. They come together
out of camaraderie, a passion for early choral music and a shared appreciation for liturgical tradition. Though
professional musicians, the singers of Endersnight have volunteered to take part in the birth of Night Music at
St. John’s.
facebook.com/endersnight | @EndsernightMus | EndersnightMus
About Night Music at St. John’s:
A candlelit haven in the city of San Francisco, Night Music at St. John’s is an inclusive evening service of
music and prayer based on the ancient service of Compline. Night Music is sung by the voices of Endersnight,
an a cappella vocal ensemble specializing in the performance of sacred polyphonic choral repertoire of the 14-
16th
centuries. The event is held on the third Sunday of the month at 8:30 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of St.
John the Evangelist, 1661 Fifteenth Street at Julian Avenue, San Francisco, located two blocks from the 16th
St. BART station in the Mission District. The event is free; all are welcome regardless of religious affiliation.
Seating is available; cushions or mats are encouraged.

3. About Compline:
Compline, or Night Prayer, is the final service of the day in the monastic tradition of canonical hours. With its
origins in the practice of bedtime prayer in the 4th
century and before, Compline was subsequently enshrined in
the Rule of St. Benedict in the West, and has had a long parallel development in the Catholic, Orthodox,
Anglican and Lutheran traditions. Compline is a contemplative office that emphasizes spiritual peace and trust
in God’s protection. In many monasteries it is the custom to begin the "Great Silence" after Compline, during
which the whole community observes silence throughout the night until the morning service the next day.
Compline consists of the opening sentences, psalms and other Bible lessons, the canticle of Simeon (“Nunc
Dimittis”), and prayers, including a benediction. As a public service of worship, like Morning Prayer,
Compline may be led by a layperson. At Night Music, the full liturgy—including readings and prayers—is
sung by the choir. In the Anglican tradition, Compline was originally merged with Vespers to form Evening
Prayer (and subsequently Evensong), though an independent Compline has been reinstated in today’s Book of
Common Prayer. Night Music at St. John’s pays homage to Anglican Evensong, favoring composed or
polyphonic settings of responsories, evening hymn and the canticle, chanting the psalm to a harmonized
Anglican tone rather than plainsong, and including a Vesper Prelude as well anthems appropriate for evening
or the church season.
About St. John’s Episcopal Church:
Located around the corner from the busy Mission-16th Street-Valencia corridors in San Francisco's north
Mission District, St. John's has been described by many as an oasis not only for the tranquility of its garden
amidst the surrounding bustling streets, or the warm golden light that fills its soaring nave on a sunny day, but
because so many have found St. John's to be a place of loving peace, healing, and renewal in an often all-too-
broken world. The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist is located at 1661 Fifteenth Street at Julian
Avenue (main entrance on Julian), San Francisco, CA 94103. www.saintjohnsf.org. Contact at
parishadmin@saintjohnsf.org. (415) 861-1436.
– ### –
CALENDAR EDITORS:
Night Music at Johns’s
The voices of Endersnight sing the
ancient rite of Compline with music by
Pérotin, Brumel, Tallis and more
Endersnight vocal ensemble
Daniel Pickens Jones, founder
Third Sundays of the month
8:30 p.m. service; 9:00 p.m. reception
Sunday, June 21, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 19, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 16, 8:30 p.m.
The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist
1661 Fifteenth Street at Julian Avenue (main entrance on Julian)
San Francisco, CA 94103
www.saintjohnsf.org
(415) 861-1436
parishadmin@saintjohnsf.org