December 4, 2026, 7:00 PM
Organ and Poetry celebrates the 25th anniversary of St. Peter's Mander organ by showcasing the lyrical side of the instrument. Poetry readings by Dr. Kathryn Haydon alternate with David Sinden's meditative responses on the organ.
On the day of his birth and in the 100th year since his death, this Advent-time service features selections from the Book of Hours by Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Many of these poems were inspired by Rilke's experience with Russian Orthodox worship. They evoke themes of Advent by their emphasis on the darkness of seeking God rather than the brightness of having found him. Rilke wrestles with the insufficiency of works to understand God, and finds glimmers of the divine through individual communion with God.
Organ and Poetry will be held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church at 110 N Warson Rd in Ladue on Friday, December 4 at 7:00 PM. Ample parking is available in the lots surrounding the church.
Kathryn Haydon, Ph.D., is a plant scientist and independent literary scholar. She has given poetry recitations at literary conferences in Boston, Mass., Lausanne, Switzerland, Ithaca, N.Y., and Princeton, N.J.; at Earth Walk at First Congregational Church, Webster Groves in 2025; and at the Poetry and Music services held at St. Peter's from 2024–2026. Her "tour de force of memorization," a recitation of the 999-line poem “Pale Fire” by Vladimir Nabokov, has been viewed over 14,000 times on YouTube since 2022.
David Sinden is an organist and choral conductor noted for his “centered leadership and solid musicianship.” Since 2015, he has been the Organist and Director of Music at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, St. Louis. He has studied organ improvisation with Gerre Hancock, Bruce Neswick, William Porter, and Jeffrey Smith.