Mozart Requiem
The Bach Society of Minnesota will revive the enigmatic power of Mozart’s Requiem, a composition laden with historical drama. Commissioned in 1791 by a mysterious messenger, this piece led Mozart to believe it was intended for his own funeral, a reflection of his deteriorating health. Left incomplete at his death, the Requiem was completed by his student Franz Xaver Süssmayr. As one of Mozart’s most iconic works, it is renowned for its complex choral arrangements and intense emotional depth. The Bach Society’s performance will bring to life the Requiem’s intricate structure and profound impact, emphasizing its place as a cornerstone of classical music.
A Moving Tribute to the Human Condition and Art
March 9, 2025, Sunday | 4:00 PM
Ordway Concert Hall
345 Washington Street, Saint Paul
Tickets: Students $7.5 | Regular $40-$55
Part of Season Subscription, contact Bach Society if you have questions about Season Subscriptions.
Individual tickets on sale November 1.
Mozart Requiem
Matthias Maute, Conductor
Two-time JUNO Award winning conductor, composer, recorder, and flute soloist Matthias Maute has achieved an international reputation. In 2016 he was named artistic director of the Bach Society of Minnesota and in 2019 of the professional choir Ensemble vocal Arts-Québec. The New York Times described the orchestra he conducts in Montreal, Ensemble Caprice, as “an ensemble that encourages the listener to rehear the world.” Maute’s recording of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos juxtaposed with his own arrangements of Preludes from Shostakovich's Op. 87 was hailed by The New Yorker as standing out “for its fleet, characterful approach” and “its fresh, vibrant colors”. Maute’s compositions are published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Amadeus, Moeck and Carus. He has made some twenty recordings on the Analekta, Vanguard Classics, Bella Musica, Dorian, Bridge and ATMA Classique labels.
Katie Boardman, Soprano
Katie Boardman, soprano, is a sensitive performer of music both centuries old and brand new. Twin Cities solo appearances include Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen with the Bach Society of MN, the Poulenc Gloria, and the Fauré Requiem. She has sung with ensembles including VocalEssence, the Minnesota Chorale, the Rose Ensemble, and the Boston Camerata. She appears on the PaTRAM Institute Singers’ GRAMMY-nominated recording of Kurt Sander’s Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and was a VOCES8 Scholar in 2019-20. A native of Wisconsin, she grew to love early music at the Madison Early Music Festival and holds a degree in Historical Performance from Boston University. She maintains an active voice teaching studio in St. Paul, MN. www.katieboardman.com
Victoria Vargas, Alto
Mezzo-soprano Victoria Vargas’ credits include over twenty-five roles for Minnesota Opera. She has also performed with the Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Chautauqua Opera, Sarasota Opera, and the Ash Lawn-Highland Festival. Concert highlights include performing with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, La Jolla Symphony, Billings Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra. This season she sings Gertrude in Roméo et Juliette with Minnesota Opera, Alto soloist in Messiah with the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, and as the mezzo soloist in the Mozart Requiem with the Mankato Symphony in addition to several recital performances. victoriavargasmezzo.com.
Nicolas Chalmers, Tenor
Heralded by the Washington Post as “dulcet and exciting,” Nicholas Chalmers, tenor, has sung with The Bach Society of Minnesota, The Rose Ensemble, the Minnesota Bach Ensemble, Glorious Revolution Baroque, and Transept. Recent solo engagements include the Oratorio Society, the Bach Roots Festival, the Schubert Club, the St. Mark’s Cathedral Concert Series, Minnesota Center Chorale, Border CrosSing, and Lyra Baroque. Chalmers received a B.M. in music from St. Olaf College and an M.M. in Choral Conducting at the University of Minnesota. He is the Director of Choirs at Chesterton Academy in Hopkins, Director of Music at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, and Artistic Director of the Mirandola Ensemble. During the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years he piloted a high-school choral residency program in collaboration with Minnesota Public Radio.
Mark Billy, Bass
Mark Billy is a classically trained singer (Verdi baritone), clarinetist and Native flutist. He is an authority on the intersection of Indigenous culture and classical music and enjoys a multi-faceted career in opera, recitals with piano, concerts with orchestra, and Indigenous classical music education. He recently performed at National Sawdust in NYC, singing what might be the first-ever performances in the Choctaw language in the city, and this year will premier the first-ever opera sung completely in an Indigenous language (Chickasaw) Loksi’ Shaali’ composed by Jerod Tate. Billy has performed with Opera Montana, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Mesabi Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony, Madison Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, and more.
Bach Society of Minnesota Choir & Orchestra
Vivaldi’s Four Nations
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio
Hallelujah!
Minnesota Bach Festival
October 7 – 8, 2022
December 16 – 17, 2022
March 1 – 4, 2023
May 13 – 28, 2023
Recontstructed by
Matthias Maute,
USA premiere
Cantatas I, II, IV, VI with the Minnesota Chorale
Motets by J. S. Bach, His family and friends