Joseph Marcell Stars In Oregon Bach Festival-Commissioned Markus Passion

April 28, 2025 – [Eugene, OR] – Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) is proud to present the West Coast premiere of Markus Passion, an intimate yet powerful theatrical production, offering audiences a fresh way to experience Bach’s lost Passion setting.

Following its world premiere in Pittsburgh, the acclaimed performance heads to the UK and, in July, takes the stage in Eugene as part of OBF’s 2025 season. This innovative “pocket passion” is performed by four singers and a small orchestra. Leading the cast is Joseph Marcell, best known for his iconic role as Geoffrey in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as Evangelist and narrator.

Commissioned by OBF and created by Concert Theatre Works, it’s the first-ever staged production of Markus Passion, presenting Bach’s music in a strikingly theatrical way. The concert runs 80 minutes.

Historical Background: In addition to his well-known Passions based on the Gospels of John and Matthew, Bach wrote a Passion setting for the Gospel of Mark. After his death in 1750, Bach’s Markus Passion was hand-delivered to a Leipzig publisher. By the time a comprehensive compilation of Bach’s surviving music was undertaken, the work had gone missing.   

The lost Passion was reconstructed in 2019 by Malcolm Bruno. He used the surviving libretto (text) and matched it with music primarily from Bach’s Trauerode, a work that shares its unique instrumentation and mood. To replace the missing recitatives and choruses, he incorporated spoken-word narration from the Gospel of Mark. 

Praise from Media Outlets following East Coast debut:

• “Impressive premiere… artfully arranged for dramatic and musical effect… vividly played and sung.” — NY Classical Review
• “New York should be suitably impressed.”— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Following the West Coast premiere in Eugene, Markus Passion will tour the Pacific Northwest with conductor Julian Perkins at the helm.  

Tour Dates:

• Eugene July 11, 7:30 PM, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, Soreng Theater [ticket link]
• Portland July 12, 7:00 PM, First United Methodist Church [ticket link]
• Seattle July 13, 4:00 PM, Town Hall [ticket link]

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Oregon Bach Festival has presented the masterworks of J.S. Bach, and composers inspired by his work, to audiences in Eugene and throughout the State of Oregon for more than five decades. In addition to traditional choral-orchestral masterworks, the Festival also presents internationally renowned guest artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Pink Martini, and Philip Glass, and offers educational opportunities, children and family programing, and community events.

The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO School of Music and Dance presents more than 300 concerts and events during the academic year featuring scholars, guest artists, faculty artists, and student ensembles. The wealth of concert material ranges from contemporary dance to African dance, early and classical music to contemporary music, world music, and jazz.