Robert Spano to Lead Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus, 3/8 & 10

Music Director Robert Spano will lead the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus in a Theater of a Concert presentation of Bach's St. Matthew Passion March 8 and 10, 2012, at 8:00 p.m. in Atlanta Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center.

This Theater of a Concert presentation of St. Matthew Passion, with stage direction and set design by Anne Patterson, will enhance the concert experience by adding various visual elements to the concert hall. In past seasons, Theater of a Concert presentations have included film and projected images synchronized with the music, lighting effects, art installations, and semi-staged performances of operas, creating a marriage of the auditory and the visual, and allowing concertgoers to connect with the music on multiple levels. Previous Theater of a Concert presentations have included Doctor Atomic, Ainadamar, Haydn's Creation, Bach's St. John Passion, and Puccini's La bohème and Madama Butterfly, among others.

"Inherently, concerts are theatrical because they take place on a stage. Certain repertoire further invites theatrical treatment affording us an opportunity to enhance the concert experience in powerful ways," Music Director Robert Spano has said. "That's the philosophy behind the Theater of a Concert."

The program will feature the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus, under the direction of Norman Mackenzie, and numerous guest artists, including soprano Heidi Grant Murphy, mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor, tenor Thomas Cooley, baritone Stephen Powell, tenor Thomas Glenn, and bass-baritone Dietrich Henschel.