In this blockbuster pairing, Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble—a group of American early music all-star singers celebrating racial and ethnic diversity—teams up with the Bay Area’s beloved Cantata Collective to present a beloved work in a slightly different guise: Johann Sebastian Bach’s 1725 version of his St John Passion. Neither the beginning nor the end are the same as in the version most familiar to listeners today, and several arias are replaced. Nonetheless, the work’s drama emerges in a different and utterly convincing light.

Joining this already remarkable collaboration is celebrated conductor Nicholas McGegan, who needs little introduction to Bay Area audiences as the music director emeritus of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale. A legend in the early music revival, Nic will bring his deep insights into Bach’s masterpiece, which he recently recorded with Cantata Collective in March 2022.

Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble
Arianne Abela, director; Sherezade Panthaki, Michele Kennedy, sopranos; Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano; Michael Walker, countertenor; Haitham Haidar, Noah Horn, tenor; Jonathan Woody, baritone; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone

Cantata Collective
core ensemble: Marc Schachman, Katherine Kyme, Lisa Weiss, Anthony Martin, William Skeen, Kristin Zoernig