Bach St Matthew Passion
Bach's St Matthew Passion in Chichester Cathedral
With six solo singers, two choirs, two orchestras and a children’s choir, JS Bach’s telling of the passion of Jesus through the eyes of St Matthew is one of the greatest masterpieces of music, described by Sir Edward Elgar as “the noblest sacred work in existence”. Composed almost three hundred years ago, it tracks the events of Jesus’s final days until his death on the Cross, culminating in the heart-rending chorus ‘In Tears of Grief’.
On Saturday 29th March, conductor Leslie Olive directs the English Arts Chorale and Orchestra in a performance in English in the wonderful acoustic of Chichester’s beautiful cathedral. The fully professional orchestra is drawn from London’s leading orchestras.
Six talented young professional soloists perform Bach's glorious arias, with tenor James Micklethwaite taking the leading role of the storyteller, known as "The Evangelist". The cast of performers is completed by a youth choir from St Bede's School in Redhill, Surrey.
Tickets for this memorable performance are set at £35, £25 and £15 (full-time students £6). Online booking is now closed, but tickets will be available on the door from 6.30pm.
Come with us by coach!
We're delighted to confirm that effortless coach travel has been arranged for you to come with us to Chichester Cathedral on Saturday 29th March for the St Matthew Passion.
Joining us on the coach, you will arrive in Chichester fresh as a daisy and ready for lunch around 12.30, with flavours from around the world awaiting you in any of the 26 cafes and restaurants listed by Trip Advisor as being within an easy 200 yards of the Cathedral.
After lunch would be a great time to explore the cathedral with its Roman pavement and many other glories, while basking in the sounds of the choir, orchestra and soloists rehearsing for the evening, or if that is simply too much of a good thing and you prefer not to spoil your musical appetite, you can stay with the Roman theme and go by bus, train, or taxi to Fishbourne Roman Palace and Gardens just two miles out of the centre of Chichester. RomeToRio says it’s 3 minutes on the train, and 6 minutes on the bus, or you can walk there in a little over half an hour.
The magnificent and unparalleled opening chorus of the St Matthew Passion is scheduled to ring out at 7.15pm – an unusual start time, so please do make a note of it and take your seat in the cathedral in plenty of time. There will be one interval, and the performance is expected to conclude shortly after 10.0pm., with the coach leaving for home around 10.30 and due to arrive back in Reigate at around midnight.
With places for choir and audience alike, the coach will leave from (and subsequently return to) WRAY COMMON PRIMARY SCHOOL, Kendal Close, Reigate RH2 0LR, at 11.00am on Saturday 29th March. It is very important not to be late as the coach will need to leave on time to be sure of giving the choir a timely start to their rehearsal. If you are late, the coach will go without you and the EAC will not be able to refund your fare.Tickets are £30 for adults and £10 for full-time students and those under 18. Carer accompanying disabled person - no charge. There are limited seats available, and bookings will be treated on a first come, first served basis. Parking will be available for your car on the playground at Wray Common Primary School.
Soloists
James Micklethwaite (tenor): The Evangelist
Charlie Baigent (baritone): Jesus
Emilia Bertolini: soprano arias
Florence Pettet: alto arias
Toshi Ogita: tenor arias
Robert Gildon: bass arias, Judas
Charlie has just finished studying for a Master’s degree as a scholar at the Royal College of Music. He enjoys a busy schedule of concert, opera, and ensemble singing, particularly as winner of the 2024 Salvat Beca Bach in Barcelona. His opera roles include Papageno in The Magic Flute and Valentin in Faust for Arcadian Opera, covering Malatesta for Longhope’s Don Pasquale, and Figaro in a contemporary reworking of Marriage of Figaro. Recent concert performances include Bach’s Magnificat in the Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, Messiah for Waterperry Opera Festival’s winter season, and Brahms Requiem with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. This summer, Charlie is looking forward to singing with Longborough Festival Opera.
Emilia Bertolini is an Australian soprano of Irish and Italian heritage, currently performing across the UK and Europe. She holds a Master of Arts (vocal) from the Royal Academy of Music.
Emilia has a particular affinity for baroque music, with recent highlights including winning first place in the Concours Corneille baroque singing competition in Rouen, Normandy, and receiving the Young Talent Award as a finalist in the inaugural Cavalli Monteverdi Competition in Cremona. She recently performed the title role in Eccles’ Semele with La Risonanza in Milan, Ninfa in Monteverdi’s Orfeo at Teatro Ponchielli di Cremona, and Drusilla and Fortuna in L’Incoronazione di Poppea with La Venexiana. Emilia also appeared as Cupid in Blow’s Venus and Adonis at the Baroquestock Festival in London and at the Ryedale Festival. She participated in solo recitals at the Festival Radio France Montpellier and the Nouvelles Voix en Normandie tour with Le Poème Harmonique. Additionally, she performed as the soprano soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Le Poème Harmonique, conducted by Vincent Dumestre, in Nice.
Emilia is also a passionate choral and chamber singer, performing regularly with esteemed ensembles such as the BBC Singers, Chamber Choir Ireland, the Gabrieli Consort, and the Choir of the Age of Enlightenment.
British mezzo-soprano Florence Pettet grew up in a family of string players in Reigate, and completed her vocal training at the conservatoire in Leipzig, Germany. She studied under Professor Carola Guber and graduated with First-Class Honours in 2021. She enjoys regular solo engagements as part of the Bachfest Leipzig, and in concert with the Mendelssohn Kammerorchester Leipzig, and the Merseburger Hofmusik. As an ensemble singer, Florence has worked with groups such as Vox Luminis, Echo Vocal Ensemble, and the Gaechinger Cantorey, and since 2018 has toured extensively with Ensemble 1684, performing in settings such as the Buxtehude Tage of Lübeck, the Heinrich Schütz Festival, and in the Leipzig Bach Archive and Thomaskirche. She continues her studies with Alison Wells in London, and sings regularly with the choir of Holy Sepulchre Church, the choir of the Guards’ Chapel and St Paul's Cathedral Choir.
Japanese tenor Toshi Ogita is fast developing a reputation for his warm, lyric voice. He is a Master’s graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Richard Berkeley-Steele and Anna Tilbrook. Toshi was heavily involved in RAM’s Bach cantatas series, and has worked as a soloist with Philippe Herreweghe, Rachel Podger, and John Butt.
Opera scenes at RAM included Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Tonio (La fille du régiment), Nemerino (L’elisir d’amore). Other work on the stage includes Chorus, L'elisir d’amore; Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci; Il barbiere di Siviglia (West Green House Opera), Chorus, Eugene Onegin (Hampstead Garden Opera), and Francesca Caccini's La liberazione di Ruggiero (Brighton Early Music Festival).
Concert performances include Bach John Passion (Evangelist + arias), Haydn Creation, Handel Messiah, Mozart Requiem, and Alban Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder.
Previously Toshi read History of Art at the University of Edinburgh, and is based in Winchester.
Baritone Robert Gildon studied at Manhattan School of Music in New York, Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals in the USA and at the Britten Pears School in the UK. He has performed solos with many leading groups including the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Garsington Opera in a range of repertoire from the Baroque to the Contemporary. Robert also regularly leads workshops for ENO, Streetwise Opera, Grange Festival, the Mozartists and Britten Pears Arts and has performed in many community pieces for English National Opera, Garsington Opera and Royal Opera House. He lives in Suffolk with a menagerie of animals.
