Lenten programs to focus on composition La Pasion Segun San Marcos

During this Lenten season, Adult Forum programs at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will focus on Osvaldo Golijov's composition La Pasion Segun San Marcos (The Passion According to St. Mark).

La Pasion Segun San Marcos, which premiered in 2000, was commissioned to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach. CD's of the work received numerous awards including nominations for a Grammy and Latin Grammy.

Golijov is currently Loyola Professor of Music at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts where he has taught since 1991. According to his official website, he was influenced by a variety of music growing up in Argentina including classical chamber music, Jewish liturgical and klezmer music and traditional Latin musical forms. After studying in Israel, Osvaldo moved to the United States where he earned his Ph.D at the University of Pennsylvania. He has collaborated with many internationally known musical artists, received commissions from major ensembles and institutions in the US and abroad and is the recipient of numerous awards including a MacArthur Fellowship.

Brooke Joyce, Good Shepherd Organist and Interim Director of Music, coordinated this six-part series with other professionals in music and theology from Luther College including Michael O'Brien, Ethnomusicologist; David Vasquez, Campus Pastor; and, Germano Streese, Pastor and Librarian. Joan Mau, Pastor of Good Shepherd, will also be a presenter. During the first session, Streese, a native of Brazil, will discuss several works of liturgical music from Latin America that include indigenous pieces. During the following five Sundays, segments of Golijov's work on DVDs will be shown and discussed.

The schedule for the Adult Forums, held in the narthex of Good Shepherd at 11:00 am each Sunday, is below:

March 9: Germano Streese (Part I)
March 16: Brooke Joyce (Part II)
March 23: Joan Mau (Part III)
March 30: Michael O'Brien (Part IV)
April 6: David Vasquez (Part V)
April 13: Brooke Joyce (Part VI)

The public is welcome at all of these events. Further information about the series may be directed to Brooke Joyce, Associate Professor of Music and Composer-in Residence, at Luther College.