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Bach Festival Society of Winter Park

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Founded in 1935 in Winter Park, Florida, the Bach Festival Society is one of the longest continuously operating Bach Festivals in the country and is well ranked among America’s great oratorio societies. The Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra bring the highest caliber of classical music to Central Florida in the intimate settings of Tiedtke Concert Hall and Knowles Memorial Chapel on the Rollins College campus for the Society’s Annual Bach Festival, Choral Masterworks, and Visiting Artists performances. It presents a variety of educational and community outreach programs year round. More information is available at BachFestivalFlorida.org.

History[edit]

Founding[edit]

The Bach Festival Society was founded in 1935 at Rollins College to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birth by presenting the composer’s orchestral and choral music to the community for enlightenment, education, and enjoyment. The Society’s founders wished “to bring to the south the beauty, the timelessness of the great choral music of Bach as a fundamental background to a genuine musical education and spiritual understanding.”

Growth[edit]

As Central Florida’s longest-operating performing arts organization, the Bach Festival Society is well known internationally and has enjoyed a long tradition of bringing world-class talent to the Greater Orlando community. Since its inception, the Society has expanded its offerings beyond the annual Bach Festival to include Choral Masterworks and Visiting Artists performances as well as a variety of educational and community outreach programs to encourage participation in music at all levels.

Connection to Rollins College[edit]

Rollins College administration, Department of Music faculty, and students have shared a unique and reciprocal eight-decade relationship with the Bach Festival Society. Through participation in the Bach Choir and Orchestra, master classes with guest artists, lectures, and performances on campus, the Rollins family has made significant contributions to the Society’s rich musical life.

Programs[edit]

Annual Bach Festival[edit]

The Winter Park Bach Festival has been a Central Florida music tradition since it was founded in 1935. Each spring for three weeks, the Bach Festival Choir, Orchestra, and guest artists fill Winter Park with choral, orchestral, and chamber music from February through early March. Patrons travel from across the country and around the world to enjoy music on the campus of Rollins College.

Choral Masterworks Series[edit]

Including oratorio and large choral masterworks, the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra perform sacred and secular music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries as part of the Choral Masterworks series. As an oratorio choir, the Bach Festival Choir’s primary repertoire comprises the generally recognized “Greatest Classical Choral Works.”  Bach’s Passions and the Mass in b minor, along with major works by Verdi, Mozart, Brahms, Rossini, Puccini, and others, are presented in rotation. The Choir also explores works that might be lesser known and works by modern-day composers.

Visiting Artists Series[edit]

Each year, the Bach Festival Society’s Visiting Artists Series brings award-winning classical artists and ensembles from around the globe to perform intimate recitals on the campus of Rollins College in Winter Park.

Insights & Sounds Series[edit]

The Bach Festival Society’s Insights & Sounds series brings audiences closer to classical music and composers through intimate performances by members of the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra paired with insightful commentary and discussion from the stage.

Performing Groups[edit]

The Bach Festival Choir[edit]

The auditioned all-volunteer Bach Festival Choir is the nucleus of the Bach Festival Society, with a membership of over 160 singers from all walks of life who share a love of great music. Many members of the Choir have music degrees or advanced musical training, serve as educators in the Central Florida area, or maintain active schedules as soloists in churches and other venues throughout the community. Others are simply brought to the choir by their love of music. The Bach Festival Choir takes pride in performing choral masterworks honoring their namesake, Johann Sebastian Bach, along with his contemporaries. Known internationally, the Choir's performances with the London Symphony Orchestra were hailed as a great success: the “first-rate performance showed the Winter Park choir was every bit the equal of the world-class London Symphony Orchestra.” Other collaborations with the Bach Festival Choir include the Orlando Ballet, Bethune-Cookman University Concert Chorale, Moravian Music Foundation, Rollins College Department of Music.

The Bach Festival Orchestra[edit]

The musical palette for Orchestra and Choir spans Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and more contemporary works. Bach Festival Orchestra members come from across Central Florida and are extraordinary musicians. Described as “dexterous,” “gentle,” “vigorous,” and “nimble,” the Orchestra’s high musicianship has been consistently recognized with high praise. The Bach Festival Orchestra often performs with the Choir as a singular unit, but also presents its own performances.

References[edit]


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