The highly acclaimed American Kantorei will perform the St. John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach at 3 p.m. Palm Sunday, March 24, in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the Concordia Seminary, St. Louis campus at 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105. The public is invited to this Service of Sacred Music.

Under the direction of Dr. Maurice Boyer, the Kantorei’s chorus, guest soloists and orchestra will sing and proclaim the account of Jesus’ crucifixion from the Gospel according to St. John, interspersed with hymn stanzas and sung commentary. This performance of Bach’s masterpiece commemorates the 300th anniversary of its premiere in Leipzig, Germany.

In preparation for the Palm Sunday performance of the St. John Passion, the Seminary’s Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library will offer its annual Bach’s Birthday Celebration at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 21. Dean of Chapel Dr. Jon Vieker will interview Boyer about Bach, including specifics about his life and how he came to compose the St. John Passion. A reception will follow in the Hasse Library. The public is invited to this free event.

“Each year, the events of Holy Week invite us to ponder our Lord’s suffering and death on our behalf,” Vieker said. “Bach’s musical masterpiece invites us to follow our Lord to His cross in a way that is perhaps unlike any other, a way that is rich and full of substance and meaning.”

The St. John Passion is part of the annual Concordia Seminary Concert Series. To learn more about the Seminary’s annual music events, please visit csl.edu/music.

About Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit csl.edu.