Bach Cantata Series: UMD Choral Activities

UMD Choral Activities presents a lunchtime performance in the Bach Cantata Series, a multiyear project in which the School of Music’s choral ensembles work through Bach’s more than 200 cantatas. This installment features the graduate student conductors who lead the performances and highlights one of Bach’s Advent cantatas, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Now come, saviour of the gentiles), BWV 61. The program is short in format and free to attend, making it an easy midday concert opportunity at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

The conducting leadership for this performance is provided by Julie Huang Tucker, and the concert is part of the broader UMD Choral Activities program. That program, directed by choral conducting alumnus Jason Max Ferdinand, is internationally regarded and gives students choral experience across a wide range of styles and eras. Beyond campus performances, UMD choral ensembles frequently collaborate with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, appearing at venues such as Strathmore, Carnegie Hall, and Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

When: Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 1:30 PM (Eastern Time).

Showtimes: Single performance at 1:30 PM.

Tickets: Free; no tickets are required. General admission seating applies.

Venue: Lower Pavilion, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland.

Lineup: Julie Huang Tucker, conductor, leading singers from UMD Choral Activities.

Program: J.S. Bach’s cantata Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Now come, saviour of the gentiles), BWV 61.

About the series: The Bach Cantata Series is performed by UMD Choral Activities, with the goal of performing all of Bach’s more than 200 cantatas in a series of short concerts led by graduate student conductors.

Accessibility: The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center offers wheelchair accessible seating, size-inclusive seating, large print programs, assisted listening devices, adult and child-friendly sensory packs, and quiet spaces upon request. ASL interpretation, audio description, and captioning may be available for select events or by patron request made at least six weeks in advance.

Note: This event is not offered as a livestream, but an “Add to Calendar” option is available for attendees.