Immanuel Bach Consort will perform at St. Peter’s June 9

Sacred selections from renowned composers Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel will highlight the second of the Summer Spirituality Series of events at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at Second and Market streets in Lewes Thursday, June 9 at 7 p.m.

The Immanuel Bach Consort, an 11-member early music ensemble that is resident at Immanuel Church on the Green in New Castle, will perform an “IBC Messiah,” a work created by its founder and music director, Gary Harney. The program combines arias and choruses from Handel’s “Messiah” with related chorales by Bach.

Eight singers will be accompanied by Baroque violinist Sylvia Ahramjian and Baroque flautist Fred Geiersbach, while Harney plays the harpsichord.

Included on the program are Bach’s Cantata 196, selections from Bach’s Cantata 107, Bach’s Violin Sonata in G, Handel’s Flute Sonata in E, and two scenes from Part III of Handel’s “Messiah,” The latter will be performed in IBC fashion, which Harney describes “as a new and creative way.”

There are no advance ticket sales for this event; a free-will offering will be received at the door.

Harney said that one goal of IBC is to provide editions (parts of printed music) that present the essence of Bach’s works without requiring the use of an orchestra, which few churches today can employ. As a result, IBC has created “Bach on a Budget,” scores for choirs that are available free of charge and can be downloaded from www.immanuelbachconsort.org/scores.

On June 16 at 7 p.m., in the third of the Thursday evening series, Rabbi Beth Cohen of Seaside Jewish Community in Rehoboth Beach will speak about Spiritual Practices: Walking Through Each Day in the Presence of the Holy.

For more information, go to www.stpeterslewes.org.