St John Passion

Experience a ‘musical feast’ for the eyes and ears as Sydney Philharmonia Choirs presents J.S. Bach’s choral masterpiece of devotion and spectacle, the St John Passion, at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall this Easter Saturday, 4 April.

Following a critically acclaimed landmark Australian premiere performance of Mendelssohn’s 1841 version of Bach’s St Matthew Passion last Easter, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs returns to perform ‘one of the greatest choral works ever written’ (Classic FM).

Renowned Australian conductor Brett Weymark OAM leads the 140‑voice Symphony Chorus and Sydney Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra – performing on period instruments – through the Easter story, a dramatic ‘sermon of sound’ filled with fury, betrayal, anguish, and comfort – all underpinned by a compelling humanity.

Operatic tenor and musical-theatre star Alexander Lewis takes centre stage as the Evangelist, returning after his impressive, theatrical performance in Handel’s Samson (2023) and Carols at the House (2025), alongside soprano Penelope Mills (Bach’s St Matthew Passion 2025), mezzo-soprano Ashlyn Tymms (Rossini in Paris 2025), tenor Louis Hurley (Handel’s Messiah 2024), baritone Christopher Richardson (Handel’s Messiah 2024), and bass-baritone Andrew O’Connor (St Matthew Passion 2025).