Beginning in 1980, vocal and instrumental performers from New England and beyond—including the St. Andrew’s choir—gathered annually to participate in Meditations on the Passion, a Good Friday cantata by recording artist and songwriter Bob Franke. With two years out for the global pandemic, in 2022 all gathered for a special 40th-anniversary performance, which coincided with the issuance of a first-ever studio recording of the cantata.
Sadly, Bob Franke, longtime and beloved member of St. Andrew’s Church and former Artist in Residence, passed into eternal life in October of 2025. Bob contributed to St. Andrew’s—and the world of music in general—in countless ways that will be remembered by many.
Read a wonderful tribute to Bob by Rev. Jim Friedrich here.
“[Franke] takes the story of the Passion and shines a light on it from the perspective of a person living in this modern era. . . . Let the light shine on the old story of the passion and find in it a new entry into the many issues it teases up in your life. Sit with it. Meditating on the Passion should bring us to such a place.“
Rev. C. Clyde Elledge
St. Andrew’s plans to honor Bob’s memory through another performance of the Cantada during Easter Time 2025. More details to come.
Want a taste of the Cantada? Listen below:
Claudia Schmidt sings “Roll Away the Waters”
Copyright © 1980 by Robert J. Franke
Although the story we retell here is at the core of Christianity, it is not necessarily about being a Christian. It’s about being human in the presence of the Divine, and it’s about the presence of Redemption in the midst of the most horrific and tragic dimensions of the human condition.
— Bob Franke