Submitted

The FirstARTS series of the Stanback Department of Sacred Music at First United Methodist Church will host a performance of Bob Chilcott’s St. John Passion on Sunday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m.

British composer and conductor Bob Chilcott began his career as a professional singer and turned to composition full-time in 1997. He has created a large body of frequently performed choral pieces with an emphasis on the sacred. St. John Passion was composed for conductor Matthew Owens and the Wells Cathedral Choir. The work was premiered in 2013.
This performance, under the direction of Matthew Michael Brown, will feature the Chancel Choir and Soloists of First United Methodist Church accompanied by brass quintet, organ, timpani, and strings. Soloists include tenor Wade Henderson singing the role of The Evangelist, baritone Scott MacLeod singing the role of Jesus, bass Jason McKinney singing the role of Pontius Pilate, and soprano soloists Kristin Schwecke and Alden Pridgen.

Tenor Wade Henderson appears frequently on local stages in opera, concert and choral settings. He is known for his “strong, vibrant tenor voice” (Classical Voice of North Carolina) as well as his facility with a wide variety of musical styles. He has sung critically acclaimed performances of both operatic and major choral works. A resident of Cary, he frequently performs with the NC Opera Company and as a soloist with the Duke University Chapel Choir.

Baritone Scott MacLeod maintains an active musical career as a singer, conductor, director, and teacher. He has appeared as a soloist in a variety of national and international venues, including Opera North, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Omaha, Central City Opera, Mobile Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera on the James, Eastern Music Festival, the Tucson Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony, the National Symphony of Costa Rica, and Carnegie Hall. MacLeod is Assistant Professor of Voice at High Point University.

Bass Jason McKinney is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied voice with soprano Marilyn Taylor and tenor  Glenn Siebert, conducting with Maestro James Allbritten, and composition with Kenneth Frazelle. McKinney maintains an active performing career with performances at The Kennedy Center, The White House, The Semper Opera House in Dresden Germany, The Hamburgische Staatsoper, The Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, Germany, Opera Kommische in Berlin, Germany, Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Sicily, and The Theatre Carre in Amsterdam. Mr. McKinney has performed the title role in Porgy & Bess, operas of Mozart, Puccini, and Carlisle Floyd. As a concert soloist, Jason McKinney has been featured with the North Carolina Symphony, the Eugene Symphony and has performed to critical acclaim in the USA, Australia, Europe, and Mexico.

The concert is free and open to the public. First United Methodist Church is located at 217 S. Church St. For more information, contact 704-636-3121.