St. Paul's Music

Worship and Music

Music is central to our life and worship at St. Paul’s. We are blessed by the music ministry of musicians and singers of all ages, led for more than two decades by

Dr. Paul Klemme.

Musicians at St. Paul's provide weekly music offerings that can be viewed at any time on St. Paul's Youtube Channel.

Evensong Concerts



"Praise be to You, my Lord, with all Your creatures..." begins Saint Francis' famous Canticle of the Creatures, which goes on to call out "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon", and attempts to capture the wonder in the celestial cycles of the heavens, as well as the natural cycles of all living beings. 

With this as a starting point, pianist Ian Scarfe brings another thoughtful program to the Saint Paul's Evensong Series, featuring a collection of classical masterpieces that attempt to tie together Saint Francis' lifelong themes of living beings and celestial cycles. 

The concert program will take the audience from Morning to Night, with Edvard Grieg's "Morning Mood" from the Peer Gynt Suite depicting the first rays of a rising sun on a new day, and lyrical and romantic "Nocturnes" by Frederic Chopin and Ottorino Respighi evoking the night. In between, we hear a flurry of music inspired by birdsong and celebrating the awe of creation, including Franz Liszt's virtuoso scene of "Saint Francis Preaching to the Birds", Olivier Messiaen's ecstatic meditation on Mary's experience of the Annunciation, and a delicate impressionist scene by Amy Beach capturing the song of a Hermit Thrush in the woods of New England.

Pianist Ian Scarfe is a graduate of Willamette University and a former student of Anita King, Paul Klemme, and Jean-David Coen. In 2006 he moved to San Francisco for graduate work at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he now is on faculty, and has developed a busy career as a touring concert pianist. He is the founder and director of the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, a founding member of the Zurich Beethoven Trio in Switzerland, and director of several concert series in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is just as well known for his charismatic stage presence, and his ability to connect with audiences and share stories and histories of the music he performs. He is the pre-concert speaker for Chamber Music Monterey Bay, and runs a popular series on YouTube called "In the Practice Room with Ian Scarfe".

This concert is open to the public with free will donations gratefully accepted at the concert or online. St. Paul's Episcopal Church is proud to sponsor this concert at 4:00pm on October 5 following the 30 minute Evensong service. St. Paul's is located at 1444 Liberty St. SE, Salem, OR 97302.

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