MUSIC

Ars Lyrica,  and Cypress Creek FACE present The St. John Passion with the University of Houston Concert Chorale. A Promenade Classics Special Event.

Over the last 12 years, Ars Lyrica Houston has “set the agenda for imaginative period-instrument programming in Houston,” according to the Houston Chronicle, Its annual season includes five subscription programs at the Hobby Center’s acoustically superlative Zilkha Hall as well as repeat programs at area venues and special events.

The upcoming 2010-2011 season, devoted to the diverse delights of the Baroque Teatro Mundi, features dramatic music for the stage, church, concert hall, and salon.

"We are more excited than ever about the incredible performances, events and collaborations that we have planned over the next fifteen months," said Artistic Director, Matthew Dirst. "This is an important and exciting period for our organization. The ensemble’s thematic programming and its advocacy of the unfamiliar has given it a distinctive edge, both in Houston and in the international early music community."

Later in the spring Ars Lyrica collaborates with the Moores School of Music Concert Chorale on J. S. Bach’s St John Passion, in performances on March 25 at the Centrum in Cypress, TX and on March 27 at Zilkha Hall.  Bach’s setting of the passion narrative from the Gospel of John is sacred drama of the highest order. This beloved work, presented in collaboration with the Moores School of Music Concert Chorale, features tenor Michael Kelly as the Evangelist and a stellar lineup of soloists and players.