Good Friday Cantata postponed until April 2, 2021

The fortieth-anniversary performance of Meditations on the Passion, popularly known as the “Good Friday Cantata,” by recording artist and songwriter Bob Franke has been postponed for one year. Originally scheduled for Friday, April 10, at the Church of St. Andrew in Marblehead, the performance will now be scheduled for Friday, April 2, 2021.

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.

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.”

Plans continue for a first-ever studio recording of the cantata. For more details, and to learn how to donate to support those efforts, visit www.standrewsmhd.org/cantata.html.

The Church of St. Andrew is at 135 Lafayette Street (Route 114), Marblehead, Massachusetts, www.standrewsmhd.org.