Evensong
 

Where should one go to hear an awesome evensong with great backdrop?

St. Paul's

York Minster

John Major's imagination.

Brecon Cathedral

What's an evensong?

I've been to Evensong (a choral service at a church or cathedral-no sermon) at Westminster Abbey. Unlike visiting the Abbey-it's free. Weekdays at 5pm and weekends at 3pm. I was actually seated in folding chairs in poet's corner and heard the most etherial voices for the better part of an hour. A nice way to round out the afternoon.

Evensong takes place almost daily at almost all the Anglican cathedrals, as well as Westminster Abbey, Kings Colege Cambridge and New College Oxford - normally just as "official" visiting hours are finishing. There is a similar service at England's two major Catholic cathedrals (Westminster and Liverpol). It's rare anywhere else.
All these churches have outstanding choirs.King's Cambridge probably wins for sheer architectural beauty, Westminster Cathedral (not Abbey) for liturgical atmosphere (most days Vespers are in Latin), Canterbury for touristic convenience, Liverpool Catholic for unusualness (the building isn't quite everyone's idea of an English cathedral).
But here's the secret we keep from the tourists. Evensong is a great way of getting into a beautiful cathedral when it's empty, and tourists aren't usually allowed in. But don't go telling everyone!

If it's allowed, be sure to sit in the quire. This is often allowed and is a very special experience.

If you can't make Evensong, there are sometimes other sung services (such as a sung Matins on Sunday morning).

I would definately recommend Evensong in Westminster Abbey. It is daily and weekends. There is also a church in Oxford in St Giles but I can't remember if Evensong is done daily, it is/was at 6pm

Ystanton:
Thanks for reminding us about the St Giles phenomenon. There are at least a dozen different churches along St Giles, offering more "brands" of religion than my megastore offers brands of toothpaste.
Two of those churches offer Evensong/Vespers. St Mary Magdalen offers High Anglican Evensong at 5.40 pm (though many Americans might be confused to learn that King Charles 1 is commemorated as a martyr there), while the Dominican Blackfriars Priory offers Latin Vespers at 6.45.
However, if you're in Oxford, both the singing and the architecture at Christ Church Cathedral and at New College are of an exceptionally high order.

ttt... are there other venues besides St Pauls for evensong? Possibly something of a smaller venue?

My toddler absolutely LOVES music and I want to be able to take her into an evensong but want to be able to make a quick exit in case she gets squiggly. :)

Well, you can listen over the internet:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/choralevensong/

St Martin-in-the-Fields does choral evensong at 5 pm on Sundays and Wednesdays. Not a cathedral boys choir, though.

Many of the London churches celebrate Evensong, not just the Cathedrals. St Mary Abbots (High St Ken), St Luke's Chelsea, and the arts & crafts church on Sloane Square all come to mind . . . these smaller parishes are more family-friendly IME (esp. those attached to schools).

Check this for websites, service times etc:

http://www.cofe.anglican.org/links/d...dioname=London

Do note that Evensong can be sung or said. Obviously, if you're attending more as a tourist & less as a worshipper, you'd want a sung, choral Evensong. HTH

Not a smaller place but you can attend evensong at Southwark Cathedral.

One of the prettiest I've ever heard was at St. Mary's Parish Church in Wimbledon.

My favorites: Westminster Abbey, Kings College Cambridge and St. Stephens (Vienna).
Also taize.fr (Taize community in France).

The lovely, very small St. Bartholomew the Great is one of London's oldest churches, and has Evensong on Sundays, possibly other days as well.

http://www.greatstbarts.com/

Sundays at 6:30pm there is Choral Evensong at St. Bartholomew the Great, Smithfield.

BONUS: This is one of the London churches used in "Three Weddings and a Funeral"! I believe it's the one where Charles nearly married Duckface.

Windsor Castle. Sit in the quire. Awesome.

Salisbury is wonderful for this, sitting in the 800-year old choir stalls and hearing the music is quite an experience.

Evensong at Kings College at Cambridge was divine.