They came on in a whisper -- 85 members of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, along with 23 members of the Bach Collegiate Chorus and 11 members of the Ambridge Area High School Steel Drum Band -- in this shout against oppression, "The Promise of Freedom."

The place was the East Liberty Presbyterian Church Social Hall, located in the depths of the remarkable complex that so nobly serves both the spirit and the community.

All of a sudden the audience was engulfed by the musicians, a surround sound of sorts, in the Elton John and Tim Rice popular hit, "A Circle of Life."

It was a dramatic moment, conceived by Thomas Douglas, the charismatic artistic director of the Bach Choir and a man with a theatrical flair. It was also the perfect setting, despite a slight deadening of sound, and more casual than most choral concerts.

At various times the choir stood or sat on a Y-shaped set of stairs, shaping the choir into a thrust setting, pushing the men forward, with the steel band arranged on either side.

At one point in the program, the vocalists moved along the sides, in the balconies and through the aisles. It was that kind of welcoming casual, but never without a sense of purpose, just like the church itself.

The Bach Choir has become the perfect community arts organization, gathering voices from all walks of life and tackling a similarly representative range of programming.

Such a range puts a musical strain on the organization, but certainly makes it more relevant in appealing to today's audiences.

The group has made great strides in incorporating these theatrical elements and developing a wonderful caliber of soloists. Of course, as the season theme was titled, "There's No Turning Bach."

Saturday evening's program focused on American slavery, the Nazi concentration camps and, in a unique and less-known connection, the poverty in Jamaica. But they all professed a similar outpouring of emotional response to unbearable conditions.

At 90 minutes without intermission, the concert sagged in just a few spots and the beginning songs exposed a few problems with intonation.

But the passion of the performers carried the night, a passion that built as the evening progressed.

There were many highlights, from a finger-snapping spiritual with beautifully controlled pianissimos to a sweep of a start to "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho," where Jon Erik Schreiber's voice rang out with a beautiful clarity.

Associate conductor Tom Octave provided a stirring punch to "I Wanna Be Ready" and the touching "Samachti B'Omrim Li" featured voices that rose on the wings of this song.

While the collegiate singers, all from St. Vincent's College, seemed a bit stringent in two Bob Marley selections, they were bubbling with joy in "No Mirrors in My Nana's House," so suitable to their vocal maturity.

The Ambridge group added a sweet rhythmic flow to the program in several selections.

All combined for the uplifting Swahili chant, "Baba Yetu," once again filling the hall with life and strength. Next season's theme is "Never Back Down," with programs on courage ("The Passion of Joan of Arc," accompanying a 1928 French silent film), conviction (Handel's "Israel in Egypt") and conscience (the local premiere of David Chesky's "The Agnostic").

Bring it on.