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A Bach Collegium San Diego Tradition Returns:                                              Annual Performances of Bach’s St. John Passion

“The Bach Collegium made a compelling case for the covert opera veiled within the churchly devotional. Abetted by Valenzuela’s precise direction, they vividly captured the arch sparring between Jesus and Pilate, and the fury of the crowd.” (SanDiego.com)

Help us to reach our vision
The Bach St John Passion is truly coming full circle for the BCSD, as it was our debut concert in 2003.  This year marks our second annual performance of this work.   We are seeking to establish an annual tradition of performing a Bach Passion (and other Passion Music) near Holy Week and Easter leading to an eventual Easter Festival.  

In order to help bring this annual tradition to reality, we're asking that you consider helping to sponsor the 16 singers who will form the dynamic vocal ensemble that will propel this dramatic work.  The size of the donation is not as important as the interaction and participation of our those who believe in our mission and work.  We thank you in advance for your generosity and we look forward to seeing you at the performances in April!

About our Performances                                                                                    J.S. Bach’s contract as Cantor of St. Thomas’ School, Leipzig stipulated: 'In order to preserve the good order in the churches, [he would] so arrange the music that it shall not be of such nature as not to make an operatic impression, but rather incite the listeners to devotion.' Although many rejected opera, Bach and many of the Lutherans of his day gave it a warmer welcome, and understood the genre’s undeniable rhetorical power.

Performances:

Friday, April 13, 2012, 7:30pm                                                                             St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church                                                               743 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Saturday, April 14, 2012, 7:30pm                                                                        St. John's Episcopal Cathedral                                                                              514 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007

Pre-concert round table discussions will precede each concert at 6:45pm.

The Bach Collegium San Diego was founded in 2003 by Ruben Valenzuela with the purpose of enriching San Diego’s music community with historically informed performances of the Renaissance, Baroque, and in particular the vocal works of J.S.Bach and his contemporaries. Its members bring longstanding experience from such ensembles as the Academy of Ancient Music (UK), American Bach Soloists, Festival Ensemble Stuttgart, and the Philharmonia Chorale. During its first eight seasons, the ensemble has earned an impressive reputation, captivating diverse audiences with its unique style and highly expressive and provocative approach to the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire and beyond. The ensemble regularly participates in an international tour to Mexico City with performances at the Festival Internacional del Órgano Barroco, and will be featured in the ninth Festival Internacional de Musica Barroca in Bolivia this spring. The BCSD has brought many historically informed first performances to San Diego for the first time. Such works include Handel’s Theodora and Messiah, Bach’s St. John Passion and B minor Mass, Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.

www.bachcollegiumsd.org