GO INSIDE THE MUSIC WITH THIS INFORMAL TALK AND LIVE PERFORMANCE
• tuning in •
JS Bach: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61
Thursday, June 5 • 12:00 pm
Myers Park Presbyterian Church
THIS IS A FREE EVENT. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
Bach Akademie Charlotte Orchestra & Chorus
DATE
Thursday, June 5, 2025 • 12:00 pm
TICKETS
THIS IS A FREE EVENT.
NO TICKET REQUIRED.
VENUE
Myers Park Presbyterian Church
2501 Oxford Place
Charlotte, NC 28207
Myers Park Presbyterian Church's address is 2501 Oxford Place, Charlotte, NC 28207, which is the location of their accessible parking lot. Primary parking is available at the Outreach Center and is an easy walk from the main church campus. Limited street parking is also available.
Festive and hopeful—it’s almost Christmas!
Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Now come, Savior of the heathens), BWV 61, in Weimar for the first Sunday in Advent, the Sunday which begins the liturgical year, and first performed it on December 2, 1714. For Lutherans, the festive start to the liturgical year had a hopeful character. After all, it was almost Christmas time.
On March 2, 1714 Bach was appointed concertmaster of the Weimar court capelle of the co-reigning dukes Wilhelm Ernst and Ernst August of Saxe-Weimar. As concertmaster, he assumed the principal responsibility for composing new works, specifically cantatas for the Schlosskirche (palace church), on a monthly schedule.
Bach structured this cantata in six movements, beginning with chorale fantasia, followed by a series of alternating recitatives and arias and concluded by a chorale. The words of the cantata are derived from Luther’s Advent chorale Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, which was well-known at the time. The first and the last movement follow Luther’s text literally, and the middle movements are based on it.
This melody is first documented as a Roman Catholic Latin hymn based upon Gregorian chant in manuscript form in Einsiedeln (Switzerland) around 1120.
Musicians
Aisslinn Nosky, Violin
Evan Few, Violin
Jeanne Johnson, Violin
Allison Willet, Viola
Natalie Kress, Viola
Guy Fishman, Cello
Sarah Stone, Cello/Gamba
Heather Miller Lardin, Bass
Francis Yun, Keyboard
Keith Collins, Bassoon
Arwen Myers, Soprano
Paulina Francisco, Soprano
Chelsea Helm, Soprano
Laura Atkinson, Alto
Nick Garza, Alto/Countertenor
Helen Karloski, Alto
Gene Stenger, Tenor
Haitham Haidar, Tenor
Zackery Morris, Tenor
Harrison Hintzsche, Bass
Andrew Padgett, Bass
Jason Steigerwalt, Bass
FESTIVAL EVENTS
ABOUT “TUNING IN”
“Tuning In”(formerly “The Bach Experience”) explores the music of the Baroque era, especially the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach. Free to all, Tuning In combines an informal talk with a performance to help both newcomers and experienced listeners better understand the context of a particular work, as well as the musical and lyrical devices a composer uses to realize their vision.