To mark its season finale, the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir — also known as “the Phil” — will present Seven Last Words of Christ, an oratorio by famed composer Joseph Haydn. The performance, which will feature the Winnipeg Singers and musicians from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, takes place April 13, coinciding with Palm Sunday. It is also part of this year’s Winnipeg Baroque Festival.

The Phil was founded in 1922 and is now in its 102nd season.

“It began as a division of the Men’s Musical Club back in the 1920s, an amateur singing organization, essentially. And later on, after the Winnipeg Symphony was created, we became the in-house choir for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for many decades,” said Vijay Chalasani, a classical violin and viola player who serves as the choir’s manager.

After parting ways with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in the 1980s, the Phil became an incorporated, standalone organization — a status it retains today.

“Since the mid 80s, the choir has been a registered charity, and it’s an organization dedicated to providing opportunities for volunteer singers from around Winnipeg and the surrounding areas to sing really high-level musical performances of choir, but also choir with orchestra,” Chalasani said.

Currently, the Phil comprises 50 to 60 singers and is conducted by maestro Yuri Klaz, who has served as artistic director and conductor since 2000. Klaz also holds these positions with the Winnipeg Singers.

Haydn composed Seven Last Words of Christ in the 1780s, during a period of growing fame. The work reflects on the seven final words of Jesus of Nazareth during the crucifixion.

“This piece was originally just written for orchestra only […] This was written originally only for instruments,” Chalasani explained. “But the piece became so popular, so quickly, that he made some other versions of it. So, he made a version for string quartet right away as well, and then he made this version of the piece where he added choir and added a religious text to the music.”

In addition to the two choirs and musicians, conducted by Klaz, the performance will feature soloists Ainsley Wray (soprano), Donnalynn Grills (alto), Aaron Hutton (tenor) and Howard Rempel (bass).

When asked what excites him most about the performance, Chalasani emphasized its uniqueness.

“I think the really exciting thing about a performance like this is that it’s a singular moment in time,” he said. “You have one chance to experience it and then it’s gone, but it provides you something to be excited about as it approaches and it provides something for you to talk about again later after it happens, reflect on and tell your friends how much you enjoyed this special opportunity that happened once and it’s never happening again.”

The Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir, in collaboration with the Winnipeg Singers and musicians of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, will perform Joseph Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ on April 13 at 3 p.m., at Cathédrale Saint-Boniface. Tickets are available at winnipegsingers.com. For more information on the Phil, visit thephil.ca.