Bach: St. John Passion (Ballarat)

Name: Bach: St. John Passion (Ballarat)
Start: 2026-03-28T04:00:00+11:00
End: 2026-03-28T06:30:00+11:00
Location: Ballarat Central Uniting Church

Schedule

Sat Mar 28 2026 at 04:00 am to 06:30 am

UTC+11:00

Location

Ballarat Central Uniting Church | Ballarat, VI

In the second presentation of their triennial collaboration focussing on the Passion settings of J.S. Bach, the Australian Boys Choir and Genesis Baroque present the composer’s highly dramatic St. John narrative alongside a stellar line-up of guest soloists this March.
EVENT INFORMATION:
2.00pm, Saturday 28 March 2026
Ballarat Central Uniting Church
103 Lydiard Street South VIC 3350
PROGRAM:
J.S. Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245
Sung in German with English surtitles
ARTISTS:
Australian Boys Choir & The Vocal Consort
Genesis Baroque (on period instruments)
Stella Horvath, Maid & Soprano Arias
Michael Burden, Peter & Alto Arias
Timothy Reynolds, Evangelist & Tenor Arias
Benjamin Glover, Servant & Tenor Arias
Oliver Mann, Pilate & Bass Arias
Nicholas Dinopoulos, Jesus & Conductor
TICKETS & BOOKINGS:
General Admission $60 | Concession $55
Early Bird $50 | Early Bird Concession $45
Our special Early Bird price is available until Feb 1
Tickets on sale at www.trybooking.com/DHUYF

ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE:
Bach performed the St. John Passion on several occasions during his lifetime. While the work never achieved a definitive form, we take the composer’s unfinished revision of 1739 as a point of departure and broaden the orchestral palate further to include instrumentation from both the later version of 1749 and earlier versions presented in 1724, 1725 & 1732.

Providing a rich tapestry of baroque colours, we feature additional members of the string family (period lute, viola da gamba, the rare viola d’amore), the full gamut of oboes employed by Bach (including the mezzo-soprano oboe d'amore and contralto oboe da caccia) plus the sonorous foundation of a contrabassoon known to be included in 1749.

Bach occasionally also altered voice types in music he composed for reasons of practicality or variety. As such, the brief contributions apportioned to the disciple Peter will be sung by a countertenor in these performances, rather than the more usual bass soloist.

Also very much in the spirit of Bach’s day is the inclusion of an additional aria, “Mein Tröster ist nicht mehr bei mir”, set to the very beautiful words of the composer’s librettist and regular collaborator Picander. This piece was known to be included in the now lost but reconstructable St. Mark Passion and is given in our version by the tenor Evangelist.
This event is generously supported by the John Henry Byrne Liturgical and Sacred Music Fund and the Robert Salzer Foundation. We also gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Pinchgut Opera for their loan of a baroque contrabassoon for these performances.
IN THE MEDIA:
Weaving together old and new, and intertwining historical masterworks with captivating new sounds, the voices of the Australian Boys Choir come together in a diverse repertoire spanning six centuries. The Choir constantly refreshes and renews through its exceptional young singers, and with a level of musical sophistication that always surprises, it continues to engage and enchant audiences around the globe.
“With its insightful programming, wide community engagement and high artistic standards, the Australian Boys Choir and its affiliate groups have much to celebrate..." - Limelight Magazine
“The Vocal Consort sang superbly…a rich, seamless blend” - The New York Times
“Genesis Baroque, a young group formed in 2017, could scarcely be more impressive. They produce a rich, sonorous sound, disciplined ensemble and a beautifully nuanced mutual understanding…” - Sydney Morning Herald
"Dinopoulos shaped a precise, perfectly balanced and totally committed performance...” - The Courier
www.australianboyschoir.com.au