CBS Choir: Bach St John Passion
- Date: 18/04/2025 20:00
- Location: Catholic Pro-Cathedral, 373 Manchester Street, Christchurch
- Tickets: $30.00 | $25.00
J.S. Bach’s St John Passion will be performed at 8pm on Good Friday, 18 April 2025, in the Catholic Pro-Cathedral, Manchester Street. Written for Good Friday, 1724, the Passion is a compact and intensely dramatic setting of St John’s description of Christ’s last hours.
Soloists will be Nicola Holt, Jessica Wells, Ken Joblin, Wally Enright, and Chris Whelan, with Adrian Lowe as Evangelist. The orchestra will be led by Natalia M. Lomeiko, Continuo will be provided by Janet Cubey, cello, with Grant Bartley, organ, and the performance will be directed by Don Whelan. The Easter Sunday morning 11 a.m. Solemn Mass will include Handel’s Worthy Is The Lamb & Amen chorus, the Byrd motet Haec Dies, and Mozart’s Coronation Mass.
This year, the CBS Orchestra and a newly established Cathedral Chorale continue their series of Bach cantata performances, including BWV 29, Wir danken dir, Gott, and BWV 1 Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (How Brightly Shines the Morning Star). On Saturday, June 14 at 2pm they will perform BWV 123, Liebster Immanuel (Dearest Emmanuel) with soloists including Paul Whelan, together with a Monteverdi Gloria and Mozart’s Symphony 39. On 2 November, the Feast of All Souls, they will present at 2pm the beloved Mozart Requiem.
Another Christchurch Choral Festival is planned for 7 September at 2pm. The annual Haydn presentation this year on 21 September, will include Te Deum, Symphony 97, and the Harmoniemesse. The CBS musical year concludes with its annual Messiah at 1.30pm on Sunday, 7 December, and Haydn’s St Nicholas Mass at the Christmas Midnight Mass.
The weekly Wednesday at One Pro-Cathedral concert series attracts a large and supportive audience, and presents a variety of soloists, ensembles and orchestras. Performers through March, April and May include advanced performers from the University School of Music, Renaissance Consort, Apollo Musicum, singers from the Margot Button Studio, organists Samantha Poh, Sea-am Thompson and Nicholas Sutcliffe, pianists Anna Maksymova, Grant Bartley and Vincent Aydon, and talented students from St Andrew’s College and Christ’s College.
The cathedral musicians maintain an extensive repertoire of masses and motets, sung each Sunday at the 11am Solemn Choral Mass. New members are welcome to the 7.30pm Wednesday evening rehearsal at the CBS Music Centre. Sight reading ability is expected. A number of scholarships are available, to encourage unique opportunities to perform significant Mass and motet settings with the orchestra and choir.
Those interested are invited to contact the CBS Musical Director, Don Whelan, phone 03 358 5873.
