On Tuesday 31 March 2026, Hereford Cathedral Choir will be performing J S Bach’s St John Passion, conducted by Peter Dyke.

Tickets are available to purchase here or by calling the ticket desk on 01432 374202.

The performance will be accompanied by the period-instrument orchestra Marches Baroque and also features a distinguished line-up of soloists, led by the tenor Ruairi Bowen as the Evangelist. He will be joined by William Gaunt as Christus, Hannah Dienes-Williams (soprano), Matthew Farrell (alto) and Gareth Brynmor John (bass).

We thought we would share a little more about our soloists in advance of Tuesday's performance:

Ruairi Bowen    Evangelist, tenor

An established interpreter of Baroque music in the UK and abroad, Ruairi Bowen has collaborated with some of the leading conductors in the field including Emmanuelle Haïm, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Stephen Layton, Vaclav Luks, Peter Whelan and Christophe Rousset. He has performed Bach’s Sacred Works at Wigmore Hall, Bachfest Leipzig, Snape Maltings and Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, as well as with numerous choral societies across the UK. He will undertake the role of Evangelist again at the annual Good Friday performance of Bach’s St John Passion with Polyphony / the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightement at St John’s Smith Square in 2026.

Engagements during 2025-26 included Thespis/Mercure in Rameau’s Platée for National Theatre, Prague, Baroque Christmas with English Baroque Soloists, Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium with Irish Baroque Orchestra, Lechmere in Britten’s Owen Wingrave at Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca and Decio in Vivaldi’s Ottone in Villa for Teatro La Fenice.

Born and educated in Hereford, Ruairi is delighted to be returning to join the cathedral choir for this performance following St Matthew Passion in Holy Week of 2025.

 

William Gaunt Christus

William Gaunt was born in Yorkshire and received his early musical education there as a chorister at Ripon Cathedral. Following a choral scholarship to King’s College, Cambridge, he began his professional career in the choir of Christ Church, Oxford, before spending 17 years at Westminster Cathedral. 

William performs much of the core oratorio and concert repertory and he has appeared with the Gabrieli Consort, the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, the choir of Christ Church, Oxford, Dunedin Consort, Arcangelo, Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht, Portland Baroque Orchestra, the Irish Baroque Orchestra, Chamber Choir Ireland, Ars Nova Copenhagen and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Orchester Wiener Akademie, the Ulster Orchestra and Freiburger Barockorchester. On stage he recently created the role of Homer in Irish National Opera’s premiere production of Evangelia Rigaki’s work, Old Ghosts.

William’s solo recordings include Blow Odes and Handel’s Chandos Anthems with Arcangelo, Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610 with both the OAE and Dunedin Consort, Fauré’s Requiem with the LSO Chamber Ensemble, Handel’s Messiah with Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht and Bach’s Matthäus-Passion with Academy of Ancient Music.

 

Hannah Dienes-Williams           soprano

Hannah Dienes-Williams is a London-based soprano working across Europe as a soloist and ensemble singer, specialising in contemporary music. She graduated with Distinction in her MA from the Royal Academy of Music, where she was awarded the DipRAM for her final recital, the Edlee Prize for Singing and the Edwin Samuel Dove Prize, selected from the whole of the Academy. From 2026 she is an Equilibrium Young Artist, mentored by Barbara Hannigan.

In 2026, Hannah returns to the Salzburger Festspiele for Huber’s Miserere hominibus, alongside solo debuts with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Tangram LSO Associate Artist, London Mozart Players, Savaria Symphony Orchestra, Instruments of Time and Truth and at Louth Contemporary Music Society. Alongside these, she will perform three symphonic song cycles written for her and will premiere two solo voice shows with new commissions. In 2025, Hannah debuted with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Riot Ensemble and the London Sinfonietta, as well as singing as a chorus member at English National Opera.

Whilst studying, she was a member of the Academy Song Circle and supported by the Josephine Baker Trust, as well as being chosen for the Glyndebourne Opera Lab. Before this, Hannah studied Music at Clare College, Cambridge, where she graduated with a first class degree and the Lester Brough Prize for Music. Hannah regularly sings with the Edvard Grieg Kor in Norway, EXAUDI, The Carice Singers, and Cantando Admont in Austria.

 

Matthew Farrell              alto

Matthew Farrell is a highly sought-after countertenor celebrated for his versatility and expressive artistry in oratorio, early music, chamber works, choral repertoire and contemporary music. Matthew balances his regular duties as a Lay Clerk at Westminster Cathedral with performances alongside renowned ensembles such as La Nuova Musica, the Gabrieli Consort and The Tallis Scholars. He also sings frequently with numerous church choirs across London.

An expert in consort singing, Matthew’s extensive experience has led to engagements with acclaimed chamber ensembles, including Opus Anglicanum, where his refined musicianship and deep understanding of vocal ensemble work have been highly valued.

As a soloist, Matthew has performed a wide range of repertoire, including Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Passions and Purcell’s cantatas, collaborating with distinguished ensembles on both traditional and contemporary works. Most recently, he premiered the role of Adam in Ed Hughes’ one-act opera States of Innocence, sharing the stage with Sir John Tomlinson at the Brighton Festival 2024.

Matthew is also an accomplished instrumentalist, specialising in the double bass and viola da gamba. He has performed with prominent groups such as Ensemble Pro Victoria, the Platinum Consort and the Netherlands-based Cantus Quintus Consort. His passion for early music is evident in both his vocal and instrumental work, reflecting a profound dedication to this rich and varied repertoire.

 

Gareth Brynmor John    bass

Winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award, baritone Gareth Brynmor John studied at Cambridge, the Royal Academy of Music where he won the Patrons’ Award, and the National Opera Studio where he was supported by the Royal Opera House.

He made his debut with Welsh National Opera singing Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème in 2017 and has since returned for various roles including Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Masetto in his Don Giovanni and Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.  Recent and future engagements include Donner in Wagner’s Das Rheingold for Grimeborn Opera, Ishmeron in Purcell’s The Indian Queen with Opéra de Lille, Opera de Luxembourg and Antwerp Opera,  Madama Butterfly for Wild Arts Opera and the English Clerk in Britten’s Death in Venice for WNO.  He works with some of the leading orchestras in Europe including Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with repertoire including Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Faure’s Requiem, Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Handel’s Messiah, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Brahms’ Requiem and Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, and he has previously appeared as the featured soloist in the BBC television Christmas Eve broadcast of Carols from King’s.

Gareth is an acclaimed recitalist and performs regularly at leading venues and festivals including Wigmore Hall and the London Song and Oxford International Song Festivals. He recently released a disc of song entitled The Children’s Hour for the Champs Hill label.