Bach’s Divine Comedy

Concert Broadcast Premiere:
Friday, September 19, 2025 at 7:30PM
Zilkha Hall, The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Our 2025/26 Twists of Fate season begins with a dazzling singing contest from the pen of J. S. Bach: his dramma per musica “Phoebus & Pan,” who argue the virtues of artful and populist song styles, respectively. Thankfully, Bach’s secular cantata, as filtered through the Roman storyteller Ovid, comes to a happier conclusion than the original myth: in the ancient Greek tale, Apollo (god of music) flays Pan (god of nature) for his clumsy singing. A stellar cast of eight also offers an intricate double-chorus motet, and the orchestra a beloved suite.

Featured artists:
Hannah DePriest and Andréa Walker, sopranos
Jay Carter and Michael Skarke, countertenors
Matthew Newhouse and Thomas O’Neill, tenors
Tom Meglioranza and Timothy Jones, bass-baritones