Celtic Evensong at Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church
Sunday, March 1 at 5:00 pm
Candlelit Choral Evensong
Reception to follow
Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church invites you to a candlelit Celtic Evensong, a reflective evening prayer service centered on choral music, scripture, and quiet contemplation. Rooted in the Celtic Christian tradition, this service offers a peaceful way to end the day and the weekend, welcoming longtime parishioners, newcomers, and members of the wider Tulsa community alike.
What Is Celtic Evensong?
Evensong is a historic form of evening prayer in the Anglican tradition, shaped largely by music. In a choral Evensong, scripture readings are framed by psalms, canticles, anthems, and prayers sung by the choir, creating space for listening, reflection, and rest.
Celtic Evensong draws on this structure while highlighting musical and spiritual themes found in Celtic Christianity, including God’s closeness in everyday life, reverence for creation, and faith that endures across generations.
Music for This Service
This year’s Celtic Evensong features the Celtic Evening Canticles composed and arranged by Eliot Glaser, longtime choirmaster and organist at Saint Dunstan’s, who served this parish faithfully for many years before his passing in June 2020. His settings draw on traditional Scottish folk melodies and ancient texts, giving voice to themes of mercy, humility, justice, and God’s enduring promises.
The service also includes choral music inspired by Celtic folk tradition that speaks honestly about faith in real life. These pieces hold space for both praise and uncertainty, offering prayer for peace, hope amid struggle, and trust that even in darkness, God is near.
The evening begins with a prelude of traditional Celtic instrumental music performed by a small acoustic ensemble featuring violin, guitar, recorder, and mandolin.
Honoring Eliot Glaser
Eliot Glaser was a composer, organist, and teacher whose musical life shaped sacred and secular communities alike. He served as organist and choirmaster at Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, organist at Temple Israel, assistant organist at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, choral accompanist for Tulsa Public Schools, and as a private music teacher. His compositions span instrumental, vocal, and choral works, often blending classical form with folk and experimental influences.
Eliot held a Bachelor of Music degree in composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music, with additional training in organ performance. His professional career included academic appointments, national recognition within the American Guild of Organists, and deep involvement in Tulsa’s musical life after relocating here with his wife, Lise, Principal Oboist of the Tulsa Philharmonic.
His music continues to shape prayer at Saint Dunstan’s, carrying both the beauty of tradition and the living voice of this community.
What to Expect
A candlelit sanctuary
Choral music as the heart of the service
Scripture readings woven throughout
Moments of quiet reflection
No pressure to participate or respond
A relaxed reception following the service
You do not need prior church experience to attend. You are welcome to simply listen and be present.
Join Us
If you love sacred music, Celtic tradition, candlelit spaces, or are simply looking for a peaceful and meaningful way to close the weekend, you are warmly invited to join us for Celtic Evensong at Saint Dunstan’s.
Come as you are. You belong here.