Emily C. Mason
Composer, Teacher, & Multi-Instrumentalist

Throughout Lent 2026, the congregation at Emmanuel sang the Psalms for each Sunday service antiphonally with the choir, and each one of those musical settings of the Psalms was written by Emily. They were specifically tailored to the needs and abilities of both the choir and congregation, so we could all sing together and reflect on the words of the Psalms. I decided to write the Lenten Psalms complimentarily so that you all could experience my interpretation of the words through the music, so you could participate in singing the Psalms, and so you could experience what I have to offer. They are the first choral pieces I wrote specifically for the choir and congregation at Emmanuel. I have a particular love of setting the Psalms to music- I grew up reading and meditating on the Psalms, and they have saturated my mind and heart. I know that the meaning of the words comes across most strongly when they are sung with music that conveys the feeling behind them, and not just read.

This fall, I am offering the opportunity for Emmanuel to sponsor a project, The Emmanuel Psalms. It will be a book of 39 musical setting of the Psalms, one for each Sunday, from Sunday, September 13 (weekend after Labor Day) until Sunday, May 30 (Day before Memorial Day). Every Sunday throughout those eight months, the choir and congregation of Emmanuel will sing a new Psalm setting, and in the Spring of 2027, the book of collected Psalms from year A of the liturgical cycle into year B, The Emmanuel Psalms, will be available to the public, along with high-quality recordings, practice tracks, and pictures and history of Emmanuel in Middleburg in its opening pages. 50% of sales of the Psalm book will go to the Emmanuel endowment fund, in perpetuity.

If you would like to sponsor this project, you may give any amount you would like directly to Norris Beavers at Emmanuel (tax deductible), letting him know it is for the Psalm book. If you would like to give a smaller amount each month, that is also fine. The stipend broken down per Psalm setting is $300/per Psalm; see below for a graph indicating how much we've raised and how much we need. 

and your name will appear in the bulletin of that day as the sponsor of the Psalm setting. Feel free to search the Episcopal Lectionary online to see which Psalms are coming up if you would like to sponsor a certain one (Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost are still unsponsored!).  You can send me a message HERE to let me know if you'd like to sponsor a certain one, and I will put your name on it. Your name will also appear in the book of Psalms​

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