University of Cambridge Evensong Services Rated: Trinity College

Evensong is a daily choral service that has been running at Cambridge University Chapels for centuries, offering a moment of calm, music, and reflection in the stunning setting of College Chapels. It descends from Compline, the evening prayers once sung by medieval monks and nuns as they prepared for rest. Back then, services were long, in Latin, and involved a lot of candlelit chanting. But after the Reformation, these traditions were streamlined into the Anglican service of Evening Prayer, which evolved into the Evensong we know today.

At most Cambridge colleges, the service has remained almost unchanged for generations. I find whilst sitting in the chapel before evensong, it’s hard not to feel transported back to medieval Cambridge, making it easy to see why this tradition has endured. Whether you come for the music, the history, or simply a peaceful end to the day, Evensong is a tradition that continues to offer a rare and timeless experience in the heart of Cambridge.

In this series I will be ranking Evensong services across the Cambridge Chapels, telling you the best ones, so you don’t have to go yourself! Today we go to Trinity…

Trinity College

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

An Inferior Presence at Trinity Evensong

It is a truth universally acknowledged that any Cambridge student in possession of a free evening must be in want of an Evensong. And so, with a sense of cultural obligation and a vague desire for spiritual renewal (or at least an opportunity to sit in an unreasonably beautiful building), I found myself at Trinity College Chapel, accompanied by a member of King’s College Choir. This, as it turned out, was a rookie mistake.

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For those unfamiliar, Trinity College Choir is one of the few choral ensembles (in my opinion) that can genuinely rival King’s. I, however, am not. My neighbour in the pews, a King’s chorister, graciously refrained from openly judging my musical deficiencies, but one can only be so gracious when the person next to you is three beats behind and wavering between alto and something completely unclassified.

The choir itself was, as expected, very good indeed. I was sitting behind the tenors, which felt a bit like being directly beneath the pearly gates as they swung open in perfect harmony. I could only assume that Heaven operates on a similar system, but perhaps with slightly better attendance.

Which brings me to my next point: where was everyone? Trinity College Chapel is, after all, an iconic building, it was constructed in the mid-16th century by two queens, Mary and Elizabeth I, who, despite their many differences, could at least agree on the importance of a good chapel. The result is a stunning Tudor-Gothic structure, complete with Perpendicular tracery, pinnacles, and enough historical intrigue to keep a BBC documentary running for several hours. The stained glass is mid-Victorian, the organ a glorious Frankenstein’s monster of centuries-old pipework and 1970s Swiss engineering, and the numerous alumni statues presiding over the Ante-Chapel are as dramatically posed as one might hope.

And yet, despite this exquisite setting, Evensong was not particularly well attended. Even less so than Clare. This is baffling. Cambridge students, who will fight each other for a leftover glass of wine at a formal, seem curiously indifferent to free music in one of the grandest spaces in the city. Where else can you sit beneath a 16th-century ceiling, listening to world class choristers, without even having to pay for the privilege?

Perhaps Trinity’s choir suffers from being overshadowed by its King’s counterpart, perhaps the allure of a Tuesday evening nap proves too strong—but those of us who were there, were treated to something exceptional. If spiritual renewal was the goal, it was certainly achieved, even if my own contribution to the hymns was best left unheard. Five stars, and a strong recommendation to all, provided they leave their musically gifted friends at home.

Tips for when you attend:

• See above service times/days from the Trinity College website.
• As you go in, the Chapel is to your right out of the Porter’s Lodge.
• The text over the entrance reads: ‘Dominus custodiet introitum tuum et exitum tuum ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum’ (Psalm 121: 8) – May the Lord keep watch over your coming in and your going out, from henceforth now and for ever.
• It is impossible to ignore the huge oil painting of St Michael binding Satan, painted in 1768 by Benjamin West. It was a gift to the College from the then Master, Dr John Hinchliffe.

(image credits: Jessica Spearman)