Caelis Academy Ensemble, in partnership with Music and Beyond, will be performing a concert reading of Matthew Larkin’s Passion Play on March 27. The concert takes place at St. Andrew’s Church in Ottawa, with accompaniment by Thirteen Strings Orchestra.
The work is based on historical texts and traditions, and adds the work of various poets to Larkin’s adaptation of St. John’s account of the Passion.
Passion Play
Matthew Larkin writes, “Some years ago, I began working on a new setting in oratorio form of St. John’s Passion account, to which I later added the poetry of several notable writers. The work was premiered by Caelis in 2023, and I have spent time over the past two years revising it significantly.”
Larkin’s Passion Play premiered in 2023, and was performed twice that year. It’s a choral-orchestral cantata based on the original story that has been attributed to St. John, and written in about 95 AD.
Larkin wrote the libretto based on St. John’s words, adding prose and poetry by a variety of writers, including Anna Akhmatova, John Donne, Phineas Fletcher, George Herbert, and others. The work is based on various European traditions, including the Passion Oratorios made popular by Bach and Buxtehude.
Recent modifications include a new opening movement and other adjustments.
Larkin’s Passion Play debuted in 2023:
Matthew Larkin
Matthew Larkin is an organist, pianist, composer, conductor, and educator with a career that has spanned more than three decades.
He began as a cathedral chorister, and went on to complete advanced studies at the University of Toronto (as Organ Scholar of Trinity College), and the Royal College of Music. He has served as Music Director of the Ottawa Choral Society, and had leadership roles in several prominent churches, including Toronto’s St. James Cathedral, and Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa.
As a performer, he has taken the stage throughout North America, Europe, and in China, and appeared as a soloist with the National Arts Centre, the Toronto Symphony, and the Vancouver Symphony, among other prominent orchestras.
He is currently the Custodian of Music at Ottawa’s St. Andrew’s Church, is Resident Conductor of New Opera Lyra.
Caelis Academy Ensemble
The Caelis Academy Ensemble was founded by Larkin in 2017, Caelis being a derivative of the Latin word for heaven. The base of the chamber concert choir is a group of people, including Matthew Larkin, who’ve worked together for years. They’ve been exploring oratorio and liturgical music traditions for seven seasons, including both traditional and new repertoire.
They have collaborated with the Ottawa Baroque Consort, among other ensembles, and often share the stage with vocal soloists.
The choir has performed more than 200 concerts, and went on their first international tour to the UK in the summer of 2025. They’re planning on performing in New York later in 2026, and in Italy in 2027. Caelis also recently recorded their debut album on the Leaf Music label in association with Naxos of America. The album will be released in November 2026.
Thirteen Strings Orchestra
Ottawa’s Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1976 by conductor Brian Law and string players of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
The ensemble performs a wide variety of classical repertoire from the Baroque era to the 21st century, including 100 new works commissioned from Canadian composers. Their core group of 13 string players is supplemented by guest performers on occasion, including everything from vocal soloists to klezmer musicians.
Guylaine Lemaire is the current Executive Director and Director of Artistic Planning.
- Find concert details and tickets [HERE].
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