Never let it be said that early music is stuck in the past, whether it’s performing newly discovered old works or exploring new ways to present old favorites. Nowhere is that more evident than with the American Bach Soloists. Not only are its members about to do a West Coast premiere of an almost-400-year-old work (read more), but they’re also planning a new event for this summer with the debut of their new summer festival.
As Artistic Director Jeffrey Thomas says, it’s time that San Francisco had its own summer Bach Festival — and that’s exactly what this will be. Running from July 15 through July 23, at an easily reachable venue in the heart of the city, it includes a range of options for those who love early music. Thomas goes on to describe it as the last phase or step in the organizational plan. While the group has had previous summer festivals, the decision was to focus their energies on what they love and let the group develop into a Bach festival in its own right.
The festival takes inspiration as well from the Bethlehem Bach Festival, presented by the Bethlehem Bach Choir, the oldest in the United States. Thomas attended the event as a teenager, and still remembers how dedicated both the Choir and the audience were to the event. In addition, students at Academy, which was founded by the group last year and offers a multidisciplinary approach to early music for up-and-coming performers, also noted that they come for Bach.
The program offerings are ambitious. Bach’s Mass in B Minor is not an insignificant piece to perform. It may be something that is returned to every year, but it’s also a magnificent piece that Thomas says “you can never get enough of.” The other featured performance is Handel’s Ariodante, a massive, three-hour operatic undertaking. If you want to hear more, there are the performances that are part of the chamber music series. These include sonatas, concertos, and arias that will showcase both the early-music specialists that make up the American Bach Soloists and the young musicians who are part of the Academy program, whom Thomas praises for their sensitivity and dedication.
Then there are the lectures that precede several of the performances, as well as forums for presenters and the public alike, all designed to shed new light and disseminate the latest findings on the early-music scene. There is also a master class series, which invites members of the public to learn just what is involved in making the music. It all kicks off with an opening night Gala Dinner on July 15.
Events range in price from free to $45, with festival passes ranging from $94 to $170. The events will be held at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, a short stroll from Davies Symphony Hall and the Civic Center BART station.
In all, the Bach Festival is the fitting final piece in the San Francisco Bay Area Bach puzzle. It may be, as Thomas says, a small step, but overall it serves to bringtogether the music, the musicians, and lovers of Bach in what promises to be an exciting addition to the summer music scene.