Bach In Baltimore Announces 2019-2020 Season Of Baroque Greatest Hits

Bach in Baltimore announced today the 2019/2020 Season of First Sunday Concerts, its annual series featuring the music of Baroque master J.S. Bach and his contemporaries in gorgeous sacred spaces across the Baltimore metro area, including Ellicott City, Inner Harbor Baltimore, and Towson. The 2019/2020 concert series will consist of eleven ticketed concerts that runs from October 6, 2019, to June 7, 2020.

"For more than 31 years, Bach in Baltimore has devoted its existence to sharing with our community the most beautiful music ever written," shared Music Director and Maestro T. Herbert Dimmock. "Our 2019/2020 season-dubbed Baroque Greatest Hits-features some of the best-loved choral pieces ever written, including Bach's greatest masterpiece, the B Minor Mass at our May 3, 2020 concert, and Handel's timeless showstopper Messiah at two concerts on December 7 and 8, 2019."

Bach in Baltimore will also pay homage to the fabulous instrumental music of the Baroque, including cherished classics such as Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 on February 2, 2020, Telemann's Tafelmusik II on October 6, 2019, and Orchestral Suites and Concerti by Albinoni, Bach, Handel, & Vivaldi peppered throughout the year. The ensemble also performs some of the world's most beloved shorter works like Bach's sublime 'Air on a G String' on April 5, 2020.

Although the grand music of the Baroque will be at the center of the season, Bach in Baltimore will step into the Classical period on March 1, 2020, for a special concert of works by 'the father of the symphony,' Joseph Haydn. And, it will not ignore living composers either. On November 3, Bach in Baltimore will pair a new operetta by local Maryland composer Hollis Thoms based on the Adam and Eve story with a Bach cantata focusing on the same subject. It will be a lovely way to marry the beauty of the past with support for the future in the local Maryland arts community.

In addition, Bach in Baltimore will continue to be the only ensemble in central Maryland presenting Bach cantatas with great regularity, and it will accompany these remarkable gems, which represent Bach's life's work, with fascinating insights on Bach's highly personal and nuanced musical language, which will enhance the listening experience of the music.

The 2019/2020 Season of Baroque Greatest Hits will feature a 45 member-strong Bach in Baltimore Choir, full Orchestra, more than twenty exceptional vocal soloists, and local student choirs as a part of its Student Voice Exchange Choir program.

Early Bird discounted Season Passes and individual tickets are now available for purchase at BachinBaltimore.org or by calling 410-941-9262. Early Bird pricing will remain in effect until the last concert of the 2018/2019 season on June 2, 2019. A chronological listing of 2019-2020 First Sunday Concert Series events is below. Please note that Bach in Baltimore's performance venues vary-we perform across the greater Baltimore metropolitan area. Please consult the full schedule listed below for performance locations.

2019/2020 SEASON OF FIRST SUNDAY CONCERTS
Baroque Greatest Hits

Baroque Oktoberfest
Sunday, October 6 at 4 p.m.
Christ Lutheran Church, Inner Harbor, Baltimore

Bach's Cantata 20: O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort
Telemann's Tafelmusik II: Ouverture Suite in D major

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, Alto
Matthew Loyal Smith, Tenor
Phillip Collister, Bass

Can't make it to Munich this fall? Don't worry! Bach in Baltimore opens its 2019-2020 season with a taste of the rich and delicious German Baroque music traditions in our Baroque Oktoberfest Concert, featuring Bach's rousing Cantata 20 that begins with a march fit for a king and showcases a spirited chorus, a trio of oboes, bright brass aria for trumpet, and solos for alto and tenor. It is paired with Telemann's lively Tafelmusik II: Ouverture Suite in D major, which represents the peak of sixteenth-century courtly table music. It is a perfect way to kick off our season of the Baroque Greatest Hits. Join us immediately after the concert to enjoy some great German beer with the Maestro and members of the Bach in Baltimore Choir!

Tickets: $20 Early Bird / $25 Regular / $27 Door

Reflections and Renewal
Sunday, November 3 at 4 p.m.
Christ Lutheran Church, Inner Harbor, Baltimore

Hollis Thoms' Adam & Eve
Cantata 165: O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad

Sarah Bleasdale, Soprano
Maria Sheehan, Alto
Kristopher Jean, Tenor
Jason Thoms, Bass

Bach in Baltimore is overjoyed to welcome back contemporary composer Hollis Thoms in the world premiere performance of his newest opera, Adam and Eve, featuring returning soloists Jason Thoms as Adam; Sarah Bleasdale as Eve; and Kristopher Jean and Maria Sheehan as Satan/Serpent. The original opera will be paired with Bach's Cantata 165: O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, a watery and poetic piece that conjures images of purification of the soul through baptism and the Adam and Eve story.

Tickets: $20 Early Bird / $25 Regular / $27 Door

Handel's Messiah
Saturday, December 7 at 7 p.m.
First Lutheran Church, Ellicott City

AND

Sunday, December 8 at 3 p.m.
St. Casimir, Baltimore

Elissa Edwards, Soprano
Jessica Renfro, Alto
Dr. Min Jin, Tenor
Lorenzo Zapata, Bass

There is no better way to usher in the spirit of the season than with the magnificent Handel's Messiah. For over three centuries, Handel's masterpiece has inspired and enthralled audiences with its glorious sound and powerful message. Messiah reigns supreme as the ultimate celebration of holiday cheer with its stirring "Hallelujah Chorus." Lift your voices with ours in this time-tested seasonal showstopper.

Tickets: $35 Early Bird / $40 Regular / $42 Door

New Year's Day Celebration
Wednesday, January 1 at 4.m.
Central Presbyterian Church, Towson

Greet the dawn of 2020 with old and new friends at our annual New Year's Day Celebration, featuring Baroque instrumental favorites selected by our beloved first chair musicians on flute, oboe, cello, and harpsichord. Maestro T. Herbert Dimmock will also join the celebration on the organ. There is no better way to welcome the new year!

Tickets: $20 Early Bird / $25 Regular / $27 Door

Winter Lights
January 5 at 4 p.m.
Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore

Bach's Christmas Oratorio Part V: Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen
Bach's Cantata 153: Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind
Albinoni's Oboe Concerto Opus 9, No. 2

Kerry Holahan, Soprano
Janna Critz, Alto
Kyle Tomlin, Tenor
Ross Tomaccio, Bass

The holidays may be over, but that doesn't mean the good cheer needs to end. Enjoy a festive concert including the exuberant Bach Christmas Oratorio Part V: Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen, and passionate Bach Cantata 153: Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind¸ a striking cantata that opens with a lively four-part chorale. We conclude the afternoon celebration of music with neo-Baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni's innovative Oboe Concerto Opus 9, No. 2, considered the first Italian work for the oboe, an emerging instrument in the early eighteenth century.

Tickets: $20 Early Bird / $25 Regular / $27 Door

Midwinter Baroque Daydream
February 2 at 4 p.m.
First Lutheran Church, Ellicott City

Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
Telemann's Tafelmusik I: Ouverture in E minor
C.P.E. Bach's Cello Concerto in A minor
Bach's Concerto for two harpsichords

The Baroque period ushered into being some of the greatest instrumental music of all time-intricate, robust, and innovative sounds that lift the soul, unburden the mind, and burst with joy. Our Midwinter Baroque Daydream offers you an afternoon escape from winter's chill with the best of the best, including Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, which with be paired with Telemann's masterpiece Tafelmusik I: Ouverture in E minor and Bach's unique Concerto for two harpsichords. We conclude with Bach's son and Telemann's godson, C.P.E. Bach's Cello Concerto in A minor.

Tickets: $20 Early Bird / $25 Regular / $27 Door

A Haydn Affair
March 1 at 4 p.m.
Towson United Methodist Church, Towson

Heiligmesse, Missa Sancti Bernardi von Offida
Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat major

Sarah Hayashi, Soprano
Jennifer Mayer, Alto
Joseph Regan, Tenor
David Dimmock, Bass

Bach in Baltimore is thrilled to perform A Haydn Affair in honor of the 'father of the symphony.' We open with his glorious Heiligmesse, Missa Sancti Bernardi von Offida in B-flat major, a sumptuous mass featuring the full Bach in Baltimore Choir; soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists; and gorgeous instrumentation with oboes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, timpani, and organ. The afternoon concludes with Haydn's "profound, airy, affecting and original" (London Morning Herald, 1792) Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat major. This melodic and timeless concerto balances four solo instruments (violin, cello, oboe, and bassoon). Don't miss our dynamic homage to Haydn.

Tickets: $35 Early Bird / $40 Regular / $42 Door

Oboe Lovers Delight & BachFest
April 5 at 4 p.m.
Zion Lutheran Church, Baltimore

Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major
Vivaldi's Concerto for two oboes
Albinoni's Concerto for two oboes Op 9, No. 9
Bach's "Air on the G String" from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major

As the flowers bloom and birds serenade, Bach in Baltimore invites you to delight in the bright and penetrating sound of the stately oboe. The afternoon concert presents Vivaldi's Concerto for two oboes along with Albinoni's own Concerto for two oboes. The poignant oboe concertos will pair nicely with Bach's rich and harmonic Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major. We conclude our lovely spring concert with Bach's beloved "Air on the G String," from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major. In addition to the powerful fanfare of trumpets, this suite is famous for its slow and stirring movement where the violin plays the melody down an octave and only one string, the G string.

The 10th Annual BachFest Fundraiser will follow the concert at Zion Lutheran Church. The evening includes food and an open bar, as well as opportunities to win raffle prizes, and bid on items in our silent auction. All proceeds from the purchase of raffle tickets and auction bids directly support Bach in Baltimore.

Concert & BachFest Tickets: $45 Early Bird / $50 Regular / $52 Door

B Minor Mass
May 3 at 4 p.m.
Towson United Methodist Church

Katherine Vetter Cain, Soprano I
Claire Galloway, Soprano II
Jeffrey Fahnestock, Tenor
William Marshall, Bass

There is no question. The crown jewel in Bach's oeuvre is the heavenly B Minor Mass. It represents Bach's lifelong and tireless artistry as a composer and musician of the highest caliber and is a grand synthesis of his every musical innovation and contribution. Bach began the B Minor Mass early in his career and didn't finish it until the very end of his life when he had already gone blind. Bach never got a chance to hear a full performance of his magnum opus, but his virtuosity lives on forever with the B Minor Mass.

Tickets: $35 Early Bird / $40 Regular / $42 Door

Summer Sunset
June 7 at 4 p.m.
Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore

Zelenka's Hipocondrie à 7 Concertanti in A major
Bach's Concerto for three violins
Handel's Concerto Grosso in B-flat major
Handel's Concerto Grosso in D major
Vivaldi's Flute Concerto No 1 in F major, La tempesta di mare

Before you gear up for your summer vacation, spend a final afternoon with Baroque masters-Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Zelenka-in a delightful summer picnic of instrumental works featuring flutes, oboes, bassoons, strings, and two harpsichords.

Tickets: $20 Early Bird / $25 Regular / $27 Door

ABOUT BACH IN BALTIMORE

Bach in Baltimore's mission is to perform the choral and instrumental works of Johann Sebastian Bach (and his contemporaries) and to educate the concert-going public about the musical language of Bach and the texts he chose to set to music.

We strive each month to present these works in a historically informed way that will enrich the lives of our audience members and inspire creativity. We wish to foster an appreciation for the arts, particularly for Baroque music, within the entire community. We are committed to providing educational experiences for people of all ages to instill a lifelong connection with Bach's music.

For more information, please visit Bach in Baltimore.

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