“One of Johannesburg’s oldest choirs will be performing a programme of flowers, nature and the music they’ve inspired – from Bach to Coenie de Villiers”

The Johannesburg Bach Choir will be performing at Maranatha Church in Parktown on Sunday, 19 April, for an afternoon concert woven around a single theme: the natural world and the music it has always inspired.

The programme ranges from a 15th-century German chorale – “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” by Michael Praetorius – to Coenie de Villiers’s “Karoonag”, a love letter to the night sky above the Karoo. In between: Bach cantata chorales, Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, Tchaikovsky, Herbert Howells and a traditional Sesotho song, “Mangwane mpulele”, arranged by the choir’s music director, Ruth Coggin.

“What I love about this programme is how much ground it covers while still feeling like a single conversation,” says Coggin. “We move from 15th-century polyphony to an Afrikaans classic to a Hebrew liturgical setting – and somehow, they all speak to the same thing. Music has always been humanity’s way of responding to the world around us, and that thread runs through everything we’re singing in this concert.”

Among the highlights is Louis Lewandowski’s “Adoshem Moloch”, a setting of Psalm 93 used in synagogue services around the world, and Howells’ quietly ravishing “A Spotless Rose”. The concert closes with Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus”, which has a tradition of bringing audiences to their feet.

“We want people to leave feeling something – uplifted, moved, surprised,” says Coggin. “While some of these pieces have a long history, it doesn’t mean they belong in a museum. It’s a programme of music that was written to be felt, and we hope that comes through.”

Tenor soloist Janré van Jaarsveld joins the choir, with organ accompaniment by Pharny Chrysler-Fox. Complimentary tea and refreshments are served in the hall after the concert.

What: Johannesburg Bach Choir – Spring concert
When: Sunday 19 April 2026, 3.30pm
Where: Maranatha Church, 3 Sherborne Road, Parktown, Johannesburg
Tickets: R220 per person, available on Quicket at https://qkt.io/JBCApril2026
Website: johannesburgbachchoir.com