From the event listing: “
We are so excited to announce our inaugural project, selections from J.S. Bach’s “St. John Passion,” (BWV 245) on the evening of Good Friday, March 29th in Wilmington! With the support of Church of the Servant and First Presbyterian Church’s “Music at First” series, we present selections from the 1739 composition.
The work, sung in English by our dedicated and excellent choral scholars, will be accompanied by orchestra, conducted by Dr. Joe Hickman, interpolated by dramatic readings of the passion characters (the Evangelist, Pilate, Peter, and Jesus), and will be preceded by a one hour lecture on some of the many musicological, theological, and philosophical questions concerning Bach’s great and towering masterpiece.
Bach, often called the “fifth evangelist” in part because of the magnitude of his St. John and St. Matthew Passions, bends his considerable genius toward a composition that centers the urgent and timeless message of the passion story.
We hope that you’ll join us for our collective contemplation of the betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion of Christ as it prepares us for the jubilation of Easter Sunday.
It will be a night of beautiful solo arias, touching musical poetry, gorgeous orchestral colors, powerful choral artistry, and deep introspection on the final days of Jesus’s life on earth.
We present our concerts at the end of Holy Week in Wilmington in a few short months! Admission will be free—donations most welcome.
Thanks to the generous and gracious support of First Presbyterian Church and Church of the Servant here in Wilmington, we are so proud to bring this incredible work to the Wilmington area and to our community of supporters!
You won’t want to miss this powerful and meaningful work!”