Piet Jozef Swerts (°1960) is a Belgian composer, pianist, and conductor who is internationally acclaimed for his versatile output and distinctive lyrical style. His works include orchestral music, chamber music, vocal and sacred compositions, and are regularly performed both in Belgium and abroad. Dr Swerts is a professor at LUCA School of Arts, Lemmens campus in Leuven, where he teaches composition and orchestration.
His St. John Passion is a large-scale work consisting of 42 numbers and lasting approximately 125 minutes. Inspired by the great Passion tradition, it combines expressive arias, chorales, recitatives, and monumental choral movements, including an opening chorus and a closing chorus. The work follows the dramatic narrative of the Passion story while uniting lyrical reflection, spiritual depth, and symphonic breadth in a contemporary musical language.