John Nelson Conducts ST. JOHN PASSION as Part of Chicago Bach Project Today

Classical sacred music foundation Soli Deo Gloria, Inc.'s 2015 Chicago Bach Project features J. S. Bach's dramatic St. John Passion, BWV 245, with Grammy Award-winner John Nelson conducting an international cast of soloists and the Chicago Bach Choir and Orchestra. The one-night-only performance will be at 7:30 p.m. tonight, March 20, 2015, at the Harris Theater at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.

St. John Passion soloists will include tenor Nicholas Phan as the Evangelist; bass-baritone Stephen Morscheck in the role of Jesus; soprano Lisette Oropesa; countertenor Lawrence Zazzo; Canadian tenor John Tessier, who will be making his Chicago Bach Project debut; and bass-baritone Matthew Brook. "Listeners will experience a highly dramatic St. John Passion, one that's even more gripping than the one we presented in Chicago in 2012," Nelson said in an interview with SoliDeo Gloria. Prior to the St. John Passion performance, the choir under chorus master Donald Nally will sing Scottish composer James MacMillan's unaccompanied Alpha and Omega, which was commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria and premiered in 2011. This will be the first time that a Chicago Bach Project presentation includes an SDG-commissioned work in addition to the featured Bach masterpiece. Now in its fifth season, the Chicago Bach Project has staged world-class productions of one of J. S. Bach's monumental sacred masterworks each spring since 2011. The rotating cycle launched with a sold-out performance of the St. Matthew Passion conducted by Nelson, who is Soli Deo Gloria's founding artistic director. Nelson also conducted the project's 2012 St. John Passion, 2013 Mass in B Minor, and 2014 St. Matthew Passion.

Tickets and Information Single ticket prices for the St. John Passion are $25 to $55. Tickets are available online at HarrisTheaterChicago.org, by phone at (312) 334-7777, or in person at the Harris Theater Box Office, 205 E. Randolph Drive. Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Students may purchase up to two discounted tickets with valid student I.D. at the Harris Theater Box Office. Group discounts for students are available through Soli Deo Gloria, 630-984-4300. Website: www.ChicagoBachProject.org.

Soli Deo Gloria, Inc. Soli Deo Gloria, Inc. was formed in 1993 as a nonprofit foundation devoted to the preservation, performance, and promotion of classical sacred music inspired by the Bible in the Christian and Jewish traditions. The organization takes its name from the Latin phrase meaning "to God alone be the Glory," which J. S. Bach inscribed on many of his compositions. To date, Soli Deo Gloria has commissioned 37 original works of sacred music from 25 composers of nine nationalities. It also sponsors concerts and recordings on CD and DVD. Soli Deo Gloria's world headquarters is at 800 Roosevelt Road, Suite A100, Glen Ellyn, Ill. Phone (630) 984-4300. Website: www.sdgmusic.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.