Kent Nagano and St. Matthew Passion in Brazil
The Little Chorus That Could
 An amalgamated chorus, together with a fantastic youth orchestra, delighted audiences in Brazil with a wonderful rendition of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in August 2006.
Audiences at Sala São Paulo and Teatro Municipal Rio de Janeiro greeted the performances, conducted by Kent Nagano, with standing ovations. In retrospect it is amazing to think that the concerts, which were nearly derailed at the last minute, ever happened at all.
Kent Nagano was to conduct the concerts as a collaboration with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA) and a chorus from Germany which had recently worked with YOA. When flight complications prevented the German chorus from participating, the entire project appeared to be doomed. That was when YOA, a Classical Movements client, called Classical Movements for help.
Neeta Helms, the Executive Vice President of Classical Movements, contacted Kevin Fox of the Pacific BoyChoir Academy which only weeks before toured Brazil with Classical Movements. Without hesitation Kevin Fox began pulling together singers to save the project. The offer was simple; come to Brazil and we'll pay your way. On little more than a moment's notice, less than two weeks before the scheduled departure to Brazil, people began to respond.
One of Kevin's first phone calls was to Marika Kuzma, Choir Director at the University of California, Berkeley. Marika Kuzma, whose extensive network of friends and former students spans the world, played a significant part in compiling the chorus. It was as though Kevin and Marika stopped being conductors of their respective choirs for just a moment and became magicians, for it seemed as though they put together a choir equal to the task out of thin air.
And it was not easy task. Many would say it takes a minimum of 3-6 months of intense rehearsal together before any ensemble can perform such a work at St. Matthew Passion. From the time they hit the ground in Brazil, the group had three days (yes, three) to prepare. Under the direction of Kent Nagano, three days was all they needed!
In the face of adversity this "Little Chorus That Could", led by Kevin Fox and Marika Kuzma, teamed with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas to save the project and bring one of Bach's finest works to Brazil for the first time in many years!
Many thanks to Kevin Fox, Marika Kuzma, and the members of Pacific BoyChoir Academy, the California Festival Camerata, and the University of California Chamber Chorus for their extraordinary efforts in bringing this project together. Without them it never would have happened.
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