On Good Friday, April 7, 1724, J.S. Bach first presented The Passion According to St. John. The masterpiece came exactly one year after his audition for the position of Cantor at Liepzig.
On Sunday, April 7 — 300 years to the day after the first performance — Vernon’s AURA Chamber Choir will recreate The Passion with a performance in Vernon, while celebrating 45 years of choral music in the North Okanagan.
The choir will perform the day before in Salmon Arm.
Portraying the story of Jesus’ crucifixion in musical form goes back to the Middle Ages, and reached its apex with Bach. The key performer is the Evangelist who animates the biblical narrative.
AURA’s performance will feature an Evangelist with a global reputation: Benjamin Butterfield, who is well known to Vernon audiences from his appearances with the North Okanagan Community Concert Association.
Two of the choir’s other soloists, tenor Adam Schmidt and soprano Heather Harker, are former students of Butterfield.
The orchestra for this performance is drawn mostly from the ranks of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and will feature concert master Rebecca Ruthven, a Kelowna native who is now building a reputation as a Baroque specialist in the Vancouver area.
Take an evening to go back three centuries into the heart of a historical masterpiece as AURA Chamber Choir presents The Passion According to St. John.
The concert, featuring Butterfield, an orchestra and vocal soloists, takes place Saturday, April 6, at 7 p.m. in the Nexus in Salmon Arm. Then on Sunday, April 7, a performance will be held at Trinity United Church in Vernon at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $40 at the door or on ticketseller.ca plus fees. Students can attend for free.
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