St John Passion
A live, shared experience of faith, persecution and hope
Britten Sinfonia
Conductor/Director James Morgan
Brighton Festival Chorus and Youth Choir
Evangelist Nick Pritchard
Christ Benjamin Schilperoort
Pilate Edward Grint
Soprano Lauren Lodge Cambell
Alto Helen Charleston
Tenor Bastien Rimondi
Bass Olivier Bergeron
In this bold, contemporary staging of Bach’s St John Passion, the story of life, death and resurrection – of a person persecuted for their beliefs, crushed by authority and ultimately transformed through resilience and hope – is made even more urgently familiar, and given extra immediacy and clarity, by being sung in English.
Combined with the artistry of the Britten Sinfonia and an international cast of young international soloists from William Christie’s Les Arts Florissants and Le Jardin des Voix, the magnificent Brighton Festival Chorus and Youth Choir will sing from memory while moving through the space so as to dissolve boundaries between performers and audience. Community choirs and audience members will also be able to join in the chorales, and there will be an opportunity to attend a preparatory workshop so as to open up the music to everyone. With hundreds of people performing together, the result will be a moving and collective act of storytelling through music.
Directed by James Morgan, this will be a vibrant, fearless and modern retelling of Bach’s transformational story – a story that still resonates today across faiths, cultures and communities, encouraging us to meditate upon timeless themes of justice, compassion and redemption.
Eager to book?
Members Priority Booking: 9am, Thu 19 Feb
Tickets on General Sale: 10am, Thu 26 Feb
Find out more about Le Jardin des Voix & Les Arts Florissants’
Le Jardin des Voix
Recognized as an exceptional breeding ground for talent coming from all over the world, the Jardin des Voix is designed to welcome young opera singers at the start of their careers. After nearly three weeks of intensive work, the winners are invited to present a show that will be performed on an international tour. This experience promotes their professional integration and allows them to perform on the biggest stages, while building a loyal partnership with Les Arts Florissants.
Created in 2002, the Jardin des Voix moved to Thiré (Vendée, France) in 2017. Since then, audience members of the Festival Dans les Jardins de William Christie enjoy the privilege of discovering these young singers, selected from around the world by William Christie and Paul Agnew for the purpose of ensuring the future of Baroque music and the “Arts Flo” style.
Les Arts Florissants
An ensemble of singers and instrumentalists specialized in the performance on period instruments, Les Arts Florissants has played a pioneering role in the revival of Baroque repertoire. Founded in 1979 by William Christie, it gives around one hundred concerts and opera performances each season, in France and internationally, and has produced an extensive discography – especially in its own collection with the “harmonia mundi” record label. Since 2020, British tenor and conductor Paul Agnew has become its co-musical director. The Ensemble has been in residence at the Philharmonie de Paris since 2015. It has launched several education programs for young musicians, among which Le Jardin des Voix academy, the Arts Flo Juniors program and a collaboration with The Juilliard School. In the village of Thiré (Vendée, Pays de la Loire), Les Arts Florissants created in 2012 the Festival Dans les Jardins de William Christie, followed by a Spring Festival in 2017 and was labelled “Centre Culturel de Rencontre” in 2017 for its project of an international artistic campus. 2018 has seen the creation of the Fondation Les Arts Florissants – William Christie.
Les Arts Florissants receives financial support from the State, the Regional Direction of Cultural Affairs (DRAC), the Département de la Vendée and the Région Pays de la Loire. The Selz Foundation is their Principal Sponsor. The American Friends of Les Arts Florissants are Major Sponsors. Les Arts Florissants have been artists in residence at the Philharmonie de Paris since 2015.
*There is a £3.50 per order charge for all phone and online bookings (not applicable to Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival members)
**Stage timings are subject to change
