Gareth Malone: Easter Passion

Easter 2024 saw acclaimed choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone take eight untrained singers and stage his own performance of Bach’s St John Passion on the 300th anniversary of its first performance. This is a rare classical music foray on television for Gareth and he put his own twist on this choral masterpiece by inviting people from all walks of life to apply to sing the work, with his only requirement being that they had a good voice and either very little or no experience singing in a classical choir.

They may not have ever sung in a classical choir before, or have ever heard of J S Bach, let alone the St John Passion, but with Gareth’s help the eight amateur singers performed this demanding choral work alongside the BBC Singers and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In addition a stellar professional cast included baritone Roderick Williams OBE who sang at the King’s Coronation, tenor Nicholas Mulroy and Bach specialist, soprano Julia Doyle.