Chicago Bach Project to Present ST. MATTHEW PASSION, 4/11

Soli Deo Gloria, Inc.'s annual Chicago Bach Project will come full circle this season when Grammy Award-winning conductor John Nelson conducts J. S. Bach's massive St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244.

The one-night-only performance will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11, 2014, at a new venue for the Chicago Bach Project, the Harris Theater at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.

"The Chicago Bach Project is thrilled to come to the Harris Theater with its central location, its fabulous acoustics, and its perfect size," Nelson says. "Bach's glorious music will be heard clearly and powerfully in this space."

The St. Matthew Passion will feature an international roster of seven vocal soloists, including four who will be making their Chicago Bach Project debuts: Lisette Oropesa, soprano; Lawrence Zazzo, countertenor; Colin Ainsworth, tenor; and Tobias Greenhalgh, baritone.

Making return engagements are tenor Nicholas Phan, who will sing the role of the Evangelist, bass-baritone Stephen Morscheck in the role of Jesus, and bass-baritone Matthew Brook.

One of the largest, most complex creations in Western classical music, the St. Matthew Passion, as presented by the Chicago Bach Project, will include the Chicago Bach Choir and Orchestra and west suburban-based Anima-Young Singers of Greater Chicago, in addition to the seven solo singers. Chorus master is Donald Nally.

Soli Deo Gloria's Chicago Bach Project has staged world-class productions of J. S. Bach's monumental sacred masterworks each spring since 2011. The project launched with a sold-out performance of the St. Matthew Passion conducted by Nelson at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Lincoln Park. Nelson, Soli Deo Gloria's founding artistic director, also conducted the project's 2012 St. John Passion and 2013 Mass in B Minor.

Single ticket prices for the St. Matthew Passion are $25 to $55. Tickets are available online at www.HarrisTheaterChicago.org, by phone at (312) 334-7777, or in person at the Harris Theater Box Office, 205 E. Randolph Drive. Students may purchase a $12.50 discounted ticket 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.