Wait

Schola Cantorum is scheduled to perform Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” 7 p.m. Friday at Stanford Memorial Church. Admission is free.

The Mountain View-based choral ensemble has waited nearly 50 years to bring Bach’s piece to Silicon Valley audiences, according to Gregory Wait, Schola’s music director and head of vocal studies in Stanford’s Music Department.

“Passion” tells the story of the days leading up to Christ’s crucifixion and subsequent resurrection.

When Schola set out to prepare for the piece, Wait said he divided the ensemble’s 100 men and women into two choruses so that they could perform their many roles.

The roles include commentary at the open and close of each half of “Passion,” interjections during arias and singing the utterances of priests, soldiers, disciples and crowds.

Guest soloists tenor Brian Thorsett and baritone Kenneth Goodson sing the parts of Matthew and Jesus, respectively, while Los Altos Hills resident Christine Abraham takes the soprano lead.

The Silicon Valley Boychoir joins the performance under the direction of Julia Simon.

The work will be sung in German, but a printed Listener’s Guide will allow the audience to follow the action of the story.

For more information, call 725-2787 or visit www.scholacantorum.org.

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