Music Worcester's First BACHTOBERFEST Launches In October

THE COMPLETE BACH will encompass 12 concerts a year through 2035 as part of Music Worcester's annual season schedule, kicks off with the first-ever BACHtoberfest October 25th-27th. Over those three days and five different concerts, more than 20 works by JS Bach will be performed. Tickets and information are available at THECOMPLETEBACH.COM.

“After more than a year of preparation and planning, I couldn't be more excited to transform planning into music,” said TCB Artistic Director Chris Shepard.  “I'm thrilled beyond words to begin this extraordinary, history-making project, and I know that we have a perfect mix of Bach's music to keep everyone enthralled throughout our first BACHtoberfest weekend.”                      

BACHtoberfest begins Friday, October 25th at 8pm in Mechanics Hall with a concert by Hartford's premiere professional choir CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists), directed by Shepard.  Bach's cantatas BWV 71 – Gott ist mein König (God is My King), BWV 119 – Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn (Praise Jerusalem the Lord); and BWV 120 – Gott, man lobet dich in der Stillein (God, We Praise You in Silence) will usher in a decade during which one of America's most admired concert halls will be the venue for a majority of TCB'S performances.

Peter Edwin Krasinski will present a free concert of organ works by Bach on Saturday, October 26th at 4pm in Mechanics Hall, where he serves as Principal Organist.  The performance will feature Bach's Schübler Chorales, Trio Sonatas, the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor, coupled with imagery designed to present a new perspective on these pieces.  Also featured will be a short silent film, THE BOAT, starring Buster Keaton, with live improvised musical accompaniment provided by Mr. Krasinski using the many popular melodies from Bach's works as a springboard.

Zlatomir Fung, the youngest cellist ever to win First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, headlines the weekend playing Bach's Cello Suites BWV 1007–1012, on Saturday at 8pm at Mechanics Hall.  Raised in Westboro, MA, he was also one of the youngest winners of Music Worcester's Young Artist Competition in 2001 at the age of 12.  Last season he was Artist in Residence for the Royal Philharmonic in London and is widely considered one of the preeminent cellists of his generation.  Fung recently joined the faculty of the Juilliard School of Music. 

Sunday, October 27th will feature a presentation of Cantata BWV 61 Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Now Come, Savior of the Gentiles) as well as other Bach works, by the Choir of First Unitarian Church in Worcester during their regular 10:30am service, Music Sunday. This event is free, though registration is requested. 

That afternoon will see the debut concert of the BACHtoberfest Choir, led by Chris Shepard, composed of nearly 150 choral singers, from up and down the East Coast who have applied to participate in this unique experience. The choir will rehearse throughout the weekend, culminating with a concert at Mechanics Hall where they will sing Cantatas BWV 50 (The Newborn Child), 62 (Now Come, Savior of the Gentiles), and 122 (Now is the Salvation and the Power). 

The BACHtoberfest Choir will come together each fall for the duration of THE COMPLETE BACH and is open to any interested singer.  Applications to be part of the Choir are here.

THE COMPLETE BACH includes a robust online educational program, including three sets of podcasts: Bach 101, an introduction to Bach's music led by Chris Shepard; ChatJSB, a series of conversations between Shepard and the musicians who are participating in TBC; and Unlocking Bach, audio program notes for each TCB concert posted in advance of the performances.  THECOMPLETEBACH.COM.

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