Music of the Baroque to present “The St. Matthew Passion” to herald Holy Week

Music of the Baroque will signal the coming of Holy Week with Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Passion According to St. Matthew,” conducted by Music of the Baroque Music Director Dame Jane Glover, April 2-3.

The schedule is as follows:

North Shore Center for the Performing Arts- Sunday, April 2, 7:30 p.m., 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie (northshorecenter.org)

Harris Theater: Monday, April 3, 7:30 p.m. at the Harris Theater | Millennium Park, 205 E. Randolph (harristheaterchicago.org)

Students are able to attend any of Music of the Baroque’s seven performances at the Harris Theater during the 2022-2023 season free of charge and can reserve up to two complimentary tickets (per valid student ID). Student tickets will also be available at the Harris Theater box office starting two hours prior to the performance.

For tickets, from $25-$100. and more info, visit baroque.org or call 312.551.1414.

History of “St. Matthew Passion

“St. Matthew Passion” speaks as urgently of compassion and hope today as it did 300 years ago—and when Music of the Baroque first performed it in 1974.

“It is simply thrilling to be preparing once more (after 15 years!) for our upcoming performances of Bach’s ‘St. Matthew Passion,’” says Glover. “This apogee of Baroque music is a daunting challenge to performers—technically, emotionally, and spiritually—and for audience members, who experience simultaneously the work’s great narrative and the strong emotions it engenders. It is our duty as performers to deliver the story with drama and pathos, and the range of feelings with clarity, integrity, and heart. There is no greater responsibility, or greater reward, than performing this mighty masterpiece, on Palm Sunday and in Holy Week. I cannot wait.”

The musical settings of “The St. Matthew Passion” tell the story of the final period in the life of Jesus. The first part concerns Jesus Christ’s betrayal, the Last Supper, and his prayers and arrest in Gethsemane. The second part presents the rest of the biblical story, including the Crucifixion, death, and burial of Christ. Bach wrote his “St. Matthew Passion” to tell the Passion story through music at Good Friday Vesper services, the high point of the liturgical year.

Every year for Good Friday Vespers, a Passion was performed in one of Leipzig’s two principal (Lutheran) churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas.

Music of Baroque’s Strong Voices Program

Through its "Strong Voices" program, Music of the Baroque conducts arts education to support and enhance music education programs at Chicago public high schools. (baroque.org)

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