Bach on track

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It started with just a cello and a keyboard, but soon an ensemble of strings, a full choir, tympani, and trumpets filled New Haven’s Union Station on April 29 with the strains of “Dona Nobis Pacem” (“Grant Us Peace”) from Bach’s Mass in B Minor. It was the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s version of a “flash mob,” a seemingly impromptu public happening. (In this case, the station’s management was told beforehand. Transportation security officials really don’t like surprises.) The planning was led by ISM’s Melissa Maier, who wanted to spark interest in the institute’s programs and give a gift to harried travelers. “What is needed more in a train station at rush hour than peace?” she asks.