The music of Charles Gounod comes alive at La Cañada Presbyterian Church in a free concert that is certain to be one of the most memorable afternoons of the season. A Gounod Celebration: Sacred Majesty & Operatic Passion takes place on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. with a pre-concert lecture beginning at 1:30 p.m. Admission is free and all are welcome.

The program pairs two of Gounod’s most beloved works: the complete Saint Cecilia Mass in the first half and a sequence of the most celebrated scenes from his opera Faust in the second – featuring the famed Soldiers’ Chorus, the dazzling Flower Song, the aching tenor aria “Rien! En vain j’interroge, en mon ardente veille,” a thrilling Church Scene, and the opera’s soaring final trio “Anges purs, anges radieux,” performed with full chorus, orchestra, organ and four harps.

Both works will be performed by the La Cañada Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir and LCPC Orchestra, conducted by Jack Lantz, with vocal soloists Tamara Bevard, Kirk Garner, Michal Dawson Connor, Gabriel Manro and Hannah Little in the roles of Marguerite, Faust, Méphistophélès, Valentin and Siebel, accompanied by full orchestra – and no fewer than four harps. 

“Gounod never fully separated the sacred and the theatrical,” said LCPC Music Director Jack Lantz. “He almost became a priest as a young man and the devotion never left him even as he became the most celebrated opera composer in France. Hearing the Saint Cecilia Mass and Faust side by side on the same afternoon, you begin to understand that they were written by exactly the same person – with the same warmth, the same harmonic richness and, yes, the same love of the harp.”

The pre-concert lecture at 1:30 p.m. will introduce both works, explore Gounod’s remarkable life and offer accessible listening guidance for first-time and experienced concertgoers alike. No ticket or reservation is required for either the lecture or the concert.

La Cañada Presbyterian Church is located at 626 Foothill Blvd. in La Cañada and has ample parking on site.

A Gounod Celebration: Sacred Majesty & Operatic Passion, featuring the Messe solennelle de Sainte-Cécile (Saint Cecilia Mass) and Selections from Faust performed by the La Cañada Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir & LCPC orchestra
vocal soloists, organ and four harps with Jack Lantz conducting, is on Sunday, Oct. 18.
The pre-concert lecture is at 1:30 p.m. with the concert at 2 p.m. It is being held at La Cañada Presbyterian Church 626 Foothill Blvd. in La Cañada.

Admission is free; no tickets or reservations required. It will be live-streamed at live.lacanadapc.org.

La Cañada Presbyterian Church offers concerts, education programs and community events throughout the year. For more information, visit lacanadapc.org or call (818) 790-6708.