Category Archives: music

St John’s Passion

On Palm Sunday, in St Ninian’s Cathedral, North Methven Street, Perth, there will be a rare opportunity to hear the St John ‘s Passion – by George Fredrick Handel.

Sometimes this work is attributed to Georg Bohm (1661–1733), a Thuringian-born composer who worked in Hamburg and Luneburg and is remembered chiefly for some fine organ music and for his influence on the young Bach.

Either Handel or Bohm – this is a beautiful setting of the Passion.

As in more familiar Passion settings, there is a tenor Evangelist, a crowd chorus with some lively if brief contrapuntal numbers, and contemplative pieces including several arias, three duets and some choruses, of which the concluding one (”Schlafe wohl”) is genuinely moving.

Sung by the choir of Perth Cathedral, with invited soloists, directed by Geoff Bolton.

Watchnight Service Recording

This year’s Watchnight Service is called ‘Christmas Celebration’ and will be transmitted on BBC Scotland on Christmas Eve 2019. It is a music-based programme interspersed with relevant readings and links. This year we are recording in Perth at St John’s Kirk.  Half of the music items will be performance based from the local Jambouree choir, Chanson Chamber Choir and Paul Mealor’s Caritas Choir; the other half will be carols sung by the congregation. 

The congregation will be made up of people who regularly worship at St John’s Kirk together with members of congregations from surrounding churches, as well as singers from local Perthshire based choirs and schools and anyone else who wants to join in the fun and festive celebrations.

The aim is to absolutely fill the church with people, both non singers and singers, young and old, who want to be part of this programme for Christmas Eve.  We’d like to invite you to join with St John’s Kirk’s congregation and help us fill the church. If you sing in a choir, we would also like to invite SATB singers to sit in their appropriate ‘parts’ to augment the singing and give us the necessary variation – harmony, descants, men only, women only etc.

The recording will take place on Saturday 23rd November from 7pm – 10pm in St John’s Kirk, St John’s Place, Perth.  As in previous years this is a free of charge – ticketed event. Please ask those who wish to attend to put their name and a contact telephone number on the sign-up sheetso that we know exactly how many people have committed to come and we avoid overfilling the church or, the embarrassing situation of having empty seats.

The carols are: Once in royal David’s city, See amid the winter’s snow, Hark! the herald angels sing, Child in the manger, As with gladness men of old, and, O come, all ye faithful. The carols will be accompanied by organist Howard Duthie and Alba Brass whose arrangements are always uplifting.

There will be a rehearsal on the Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 5pm at St Matthew’s Church Main Hall, Tay Street with the programme conductor Susan Hamilton and organist Howard Duthie. Attendance at the rehearsal is welcomed but NOT compulsory.  

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

All good wishes,

Susan Burgess

Assistant Producer, Tern Television Productions, 73, Crown Street, Aberdeen AB11 6EX

Telephone: 01224 252 306

Jambouree Concert

The Jambouree Choir and Cabaret Singers, directed by Edna Auld, invite you to ‘Step into Christmas’ with the their season offering at St Leonard-in-the-Fields, at 7pm on Sunday 16th December. Tickets at the door – or from Concorde Music Shop in advance. £10 adults – children £5.