Recording artist and songwriter Bob Franke and other musicians will perform Franke’s “Good Friday Cantata,” Meditations on the Passion, Friday, April 14, at 8 p.m. at the Church of St. Andrew in Marblehead.
Vocal and instrumental performers from New England and beyond will participate in the annual cantata, which offers songs about Christ’s Passion (including “Roll Away the Waters”) as well as songs about contemporary people who have faced figurative crucifixion. In addition to the St. Andrew’s choir, vocalists include Geoff Bartley, Howard Bursen, Chuck Hall, Reggie Harris, Anne Hills, Kate Katzberg, Sally Rogers, Kim Wallach and Carolyn Waters. Instrumentalists include Paul Combs, Joshua Levin-Epstein, John Kirk and Franke.
The cantata was first performed at St. Andrew’s on Good Friday in 1980 and has been performed there nearly every year since. Franke says, "Many friends from the music world as well as many fine singers from the parish have been with the production throughout its lifetime. You will find the names of various cast members and musicians over the years on some of the finest recordings and writing in the classical, pop, folk and jazz worlds.
“Although the story we retell here is at the core of Christianity, it is not necessarily about being a Christian," Franke continues. "It’s about being human in the presence of the Divine, and it’s about the presence of redemption in the midst of the most horrific and tragic dimensions of the human condition.”
Donations ($15 suggested) will be accepted at the door. For more information, call the church office, 781-631-4951 or visit www.standrewsmhd.org