89th Season Booklet

20232024

Insights & Sounds: Haydn’s Music of Vienna

McCartney’s Ecce cor meum

Eroica Trio

Bach Vocal Artists: Handel’s Roman Vespers

A Voctave Christmas

A Classic Christmas

Thursday, October 5, 2023•7:30 pm

Sunday, October 15, 2023•3:00 pm

Sunday, October 29, 2023•3:00 pm

Thursday, November 2, 2023•7:30 pm

Sunday, November 26, 2023•8:00 pm

Saturday, December 9, 2023•2 pm & 5 pm

Sunday, December 10, 2023•2 pm & 5 pm

89th Annual Bach Festival

Adam Brakel, organ Fuoco Obbligato

Bach Vocal Artists: The Splendor of Baroque Magnificats

Spiritual Spaces: Music to Reflect and Restore

Moravec & Campbell: Sanctuary Road

Concertos by Candlelight

Brahms’ Piano Concerto #1, Spohr’s Concertante for Two Violins

J.S. Bach’s Magnificat in D Major, G.F. Handel’s Countertenor Arias

Insights & Sounds: Literary Folk Songs and Fairy Tales

Rossini’s Stabat Mater

Ricketts’ Songs of War and Peace

Voices of Light: The Passion of Joan of Arc

tenThing Brass Ensemble

Dvorak’s Stabat Mater

Bach Vocal Artists: Songs for the Soul

BachFestivalFlorida.org

Friday, February 2, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Saturday, February 3, 2024 • 3:00 pm

Friday, February 9, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Saturday, February 10, 2024 • 5:00 pm

Saturday, February 17, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Sunday, February 18, 2024 • 3:00 pm

Saturday, February 24, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Sunday, February 25, 2024 • 3:00 pm

Thursday, February 29, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Sunday, March 3, 2024 • 3:00 pm

Friday, March 15, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Saturday, March 16, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Sunday, March 17, 2024 • 3:00 pm

Saturday, April 27, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Sunday, April 28, 2024 • 3:00 pm

Thursday, May 16, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Cover Photo credit: Bach Festival Society John V. Sinclair Photo credit: Mary Kent

Welcome to our 89th season, one that promises to be extraordinary in every way as we celebrate the eternal power of classical music. As we embark on this new season, our mission and promise “to inspire the human spirit through great music” never leaves our mind. And we believe as President Woodrow Wilson did when he wrote, “Music now, more than ever before, is a national need.”

The music selected for you is vast in its styles, content, and scope with an attempt to not only capture your attention, but your imagination while engaging you intellectually and emotionally.

Elegance and excellence abounds through the music making of our celebrated Bach Choir, Orchestra, visiting artists series, Bach Vocal Artists, Children’s Choirs, and guest soloists who will perform these magnificent pieces of music in the beautiful Knowles Chapel, the elegant Steinmetz Hall, and the intimate Tiedtke Concert Hall.

Please come and unite head and heart and celebrate with us this carefully created collection of musical performances that guarantee a quintessential musical experience.

With much gratitude,

John V. Sinclair Artistic Director and Conductor

INSIGHTS & SOUNDS: HAYDN’S MUSIC OF VIENNA

Thursday, October 5, 2023 • 7:30pm | Tiedtke Concert Hall

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Chamber Choir and Orchestra

Dan Maltz, fortepiano; Anna Eschbach, soprano; Morgan Peckels, mezzo soprano

Guest artist Daniel Adam Maltz, along with his pianoforte, the Bach Festival Chamber Choir and Orchestra, and vocal soloists, re-creates the instrumental ensemble as Haydn configured it at the Esterhazy estate. A virtuosic musician and scholar of Viennese Classicism, Mr. Maltz will offer insight on the fortepiano, the pre-curser to the modern piano.

Tickets from $15.

MCCARTNEY’S ECCE COR MEUM (BEHOLD MY HEART)

Sunday, October 15, 2023 • 3:00pm | Steinmetz Hall, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Choir, Youth Choir, and Orchestra

Karen Vuong, soprano

Sir Paul McCartney’s Ecce cor Meum (Latin for “Behold My Heart”) dedicated to the memory of the composer’s late wife, Linda McCartney, was commissioned by Magdalen College, Oxford, and premiered in 2001. (Florida Premiere)

Also on this program: For centuries the English playwright, William Shakespeare has been an inspiration for composers. Peter Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet (Overture-Fantasia) and Arthur Sullivan’s Merchant of Venice Suite are two such inspired works..

Tickets from $30.*

*Individual tickets available at DrPhillipsCenter.org or included in Bach Festival Society Full Season Subscription

Photo credit: Earl Kogler

EROICA TRIO

Sunday, October 29, 2023 • 3:00pm | Tiedtke Concert Hall

Childhood friends and Julliard classmates, pianist Erika Nickrenz, violinist Sara Parkins, and cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogionow grace classical music’s grandest stages with “an edge-of-the-seat intensity to every note they produce.” (New York Times)

Tickets from $30.

BACH VOCAL ARTISTS: HANDEL’S ROMAN VESPERS

Thursday, November 2, 2023 • 7:30pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Vocal Artists

Dixit Dominus, Laudate pueri Dominus, and Nisi Dominus were commissioned by Handel’s Roman patron, Cardinal Colonna. These are some of the most charming examples of Handel’s early music and are rarely heard together.

Tickets from $15.

Photo credit: David Bean

A VOCTAVE CHRISTMAS

Sunday, November 26, 2023 • 8:00pm | Steinmetz Hall, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra

Lake Nona Singers, Lake Nona High School, Directed by Justin Chase

Vocal ensemble sensation Voctave returns to Steinmetz Hall with the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra to kick off the most wonderful time of the year. These dynamic performers bring dazzling vocals and charm to holiday classics and new favorites. Last year’s festive program was a sell out!

Tickets from $42.*

*Individual tickets available at DrPhillipsCenter.org or included in Bach Festival Society Full Season Subscription

“The vocalists elevate the art of singing, successfully marrying precision in tone and phrasing with emotion.”

Matthew Palm, Orlando Sentinel

Photo credit: Opus 3

A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS

Saturday, December 9, 2023 • 2:00pm and 5:00pm

Sunday, December 10, 2023 • 2:00pm and 5:00pm

Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Choir, Youth Choirs, and Orchestra Mary Wilson, soprano; Stephen Mumbert, bass

Renowned for its national broadcasts on PBS, A Classic Christmas is a beloved Central Florida tradition. The Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra will be joined by the Bach Festival Youth Choirs for this joyous celebration.

Tickets from $30.

Photo credit: Scott Cook

Photo credit: Mike Thomas

ADAM BRAKEL, ORGAN

Friday, February 2, 2024 • 7:30pm

Knowles Memorial Chapel

Brakel, lauded by the Chicago Tribune as “one of the most talented organists in the world”, will play an all-Bach program on the Knowles Memorial Chapel organ.

Free and open to the public, this recital is made possible by Rollins College through the Faith Emeny Conger ’54 Visiting Organist Concert Series in Honor of John Oliver Rich ’38.

FUOCO OBBLIGATO

Saturday, February 3, 2024 • 3:00pm | Tiedtke Concert Hall

This Paris-based chamber ensemble invokes an expressive style that intertwines musicians and vocalists in an intimate performance. Fuoco Obbligato’s repertoire spans from the Baroque era cantatas to 20th century folk song.

Tickets from $30.

BachFestivalFlorida.org

Photo credit: Fuoco Obbligato

Photo credit: Marjorie Durante

BACH VOCAL ARTISTS: THE SPLENDOR OF BAROQUE MAGNIFICATS

Friday, February 9, 2024 • 7:30pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Vocal Artists, Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra

Grandeur and ingenuity abound through five Baroque era composers’ settings of the Magnificat, a canticle of praise to Mary: Vivaldi, Telemann, Zelenka, Caldara and Heinecken. This program will feature the virtuosic ensemble, the Bach Vocal Artists.

Tickets from $15.

“Our Bach Vocal Artists, having concluded their inaugural season as artists “in residency”, have infused our community with inspirational concerts and educational ventures. We eagerly anticipate their artistry this season!”

--John Sinclair, Artistic Director and Conductor,Bach Festival Society of Winter Park

Photo credit: Gontran Dorucher

SPIRITUAL SPACES: MUSIC TO REFLECT AND RESTORE

Saturday, February 10, 2024• 5:00pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Chamber Choir and Orchestra

This profound and moving program, thoughtfully chosen each season by artistic director John V. Sinclair, features an uninterrupted series of classical and contemporary music works that encourages reflection and restoration.

Tickets from $15.

MORAVEC & CAMPBELL: SANCTUARY ROAD

Saturday, February 17• 7:30pm | Sunday, February 18, 2024• 3:00pm Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra Laquita Mitchell, soprano; Melody Wilson, mezzo soprano; Joshua Blue, tenor; Malcolm Merriweather, baritone; Dashon Burton, bass

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec collaborated with Pulitzer Prize - and GRAMMY Award-winning - lyricist Mark Campbell to create Sanctuary Road, which was nominated for a GRAMMY as Best New Choral Work in 2021. This poignant oratorio draws on the compelling stories in William Still’s memoir, The Underground Railroad.

Also on this program: The Symphony No. 1 in e minor by Florence Price was completed in 1932 and first performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Price’s first full-scale orchestral composition was the first symphony by an African American woman to be performed by a major American orchestra.

Tickets from $15.

Photo credit: Scott Cook

CONCERTOS BY CANDLELIGHT

BRAHM’S PIANO CONCERTO #1 AND SPOHR’S CONCERTANTE FOR 2 VIOLINS

Saturday, February 24, 2024 • 7:30pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Orchestra

Alon Goldstein, piano’s, Routa Kroumovitch and Alvaro Gomez, violins

The Concertos by Candlelight program is a perennial favorite of Bach Festival audiences.

Guest artist Alon Goldstein, whose performances have been described as “lively, bursting with energy, yet also poetic,” (Der Westen, Bochum Germany) returns to Knowles Chapel to perform Brahms’ incomparable Piano Concerto No. 1.

The husband-and-wife team of Routa Kroumovitch and Alvaro Gomez, violinists, are familiar to patrons as co-concert masters of the Bach Festival Orchestra. Performing as a duo around the world, Kroumovitch and Gomez bring artistry to a level that can only be achieved through years of collaborative music-making. They will perform the Concertante in A Major for Two Violins, Op. 48, by Louis Spohr. Also performed will be Rossini’s iconic William Tell Overture.

Tickets from $25.

Photo credit: Jiyang ChenPhoto credit: Bach Festival Society

J.S. BACH’S MAGNIFICAT IN D MAJOR

G.F. HANDEL’S  ARIAS FOR COUNTERTENOR

Sunday, February 25, 2024 • 3:00pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra with Brennan Hall, countertenor

Anna Eschbach, soprano; Morgan Peckels, mezzo soprano; John Grau, tenor; Stephen Mumbert, bass

This program celebrates the genius of Bach and Handel. Delight in Bach’s Joyful Magnificat in D Major in all its choral and orchestral glory. Then savor his iconic Orchestral Suite No. 3.

A collection of Handel’s finest arias will be sung by Orlando native and Rollins alumnus Brennan Hall. Brennan won first prize in the International Countertenor Vocal Competition at Havana’s Les Voix Humaines Festival in 2015 and has been praised for his “remarkably rich voice … and admirable musical intelligence.” (San Francisco Classical Voice)

Tickets from $15.

Photo credit: Daniel Wolfsbauer Artist Management

INSIGHTS & SOUNDS: LITERARY FOLK SONGS AND FAIRY TALES

Thursday, February 29, 2024 • 7:30pm | Tiedtke Concert Hall

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Members of the Bach Festival Orchestra

Clara Rottsolk, soprano; Amanda Crider, mezzo soprano; John Grau, tenor; Brandon Hendrickson, bass

The Pulitzer Prize-winning The Little Match Girl Passion was composed by David Lang, inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen story, and influenced by Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.

Aesop’s Fables, by Richard Maltz, offers important life lessons while describing the “world of childhood.”

Tickets from $15.

Photo credit: Bach Festival Society

ROSSINI’S STABAT MATER RICKETTS’ SONGS OF WAR AND PEACE

Sunday, March 3, 2024 • 3:00pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra

Clara Rottsolk, soprano; Amanda Crider, mezzo soprano; Jonathan Boyd, tenor; Brandon Hendrickson, bass

The 89th Annual Bach Festival concludes with an exciting pairing of an established choral masterwork and a premier of a soon to be modern masterpiece.

Rossini’s Stabat Mater, his last large and important composition, features his operatic style with sacred text.

Ted Ricketts is an innovative composer, director, and arranger. His new work for choir and orchestra, Songs of War and Peace, was composed specifically for the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra and draws inspiration from the wartime writings and correspondence of writers Stephen Crane and Walt Whitman. (World Premiere)

Tickets from $15.

“ This is not only the finest all-volunteer choir I have encountered in the United States, but also one of the finest by any measure.”

- Edwin Outwater, guest Conductor, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Photo credit: Scott Cook

VOICES OF LIGHT: THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC

Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16, 2024• 7:30pm

Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Chamber Choir and Orchestra

Anna Eschbach soprano; Morgan Peckels, mezzo soprano, John Grau, tenor; Stephen Mumbert, bass

Voices of Light features the legendary silent film masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) paired with a musical score composed by Richard Einhorn, whose music is praised as “brilliantly effective” and “moving” by the New York Times. Audiences have described this compelling program as “life changing.”

Tickets from $15.

tenTHING BRASS ENSEMBLE

Sunday, March 17, 2024• 3:00pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel

Tine Thing Helseth, trumpet and Leader

Formed in 2007 as a fun and exciting collaboration between musical friends, the ten-piece, all-female brass ensemble tenThing has firmly established itself on the international scene and is celebrated for its commitment to performing a diverse repertoire that spans from Mozart to Weill, Grieg to Bernstein, and Lully to Bartok.

Tickets from $15.

Photo credit: Anna-Julia Granberg

DVOŘÁK’S STABAT MATER

Saturday, April 27 • 7:30pm | Sunday, April 28, 2024 • 3:00pm

Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra

Mary Wilson, soprano; Patricia Thompson, mezzo soprano; Kyle Stegall, tenor; Michael Dean, bass

Composed in response to personal tragedy – the deaths of his three children – Dvořák’s powerful, emotional, and deeply moving Stabat Mater is the most substantial of Stabat Mater settings. It is Dvořák’s choral music at its best.

Tickets from $15.

BACH VOCAL ARTISTS: SONGS FOR

THE SOUL

Thursday, May 16, 2024 • 7:30pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel

John V. Sinclair, conductor • Bach Vocal Artists

The Bach Vocal Artists conclude the 89th season by performing a selection of choral music that promises to feed the soul and the intellect through its sheer beauty and elegance. Truly…Songs for the Soul.

Tickets from $15.

Photo credit: Scott Cook

TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscribers have access to the best seats in the house, save up to 30% off single ticket prices, may purchase additional tickets at $5 off per guest, as well as receive early notices, invitations, and perks for other Society events.

BEST VALUE, LIMITED AVAILABILITY! Full Season Subscription*

Save more than 30% off individual ticket prices by purchasing a Full Season Subscription. You are guaranteed a ticket to every performance this season –including reserved seats for two Steinmetz Hall performances!

Tier 1: $847.20*

(Compare at $1,065.25)

On sale through October 5, 2023.

Tier 2: $696*

(Compare at $1,286.05)

Tier 3: $527.30*

(Compare at $819.06)

Annual Festival Subscription*

Save more than 20% off individual ticket prices by purchasing an Annual Festival Subscription. You are guaranteed a ticket to every performance during the Annual Bach Festival in February-March.

Tier 1: $420.80*

(Compare at $560.90)

On sale through February 3, 2024.

Tier 2: $344*

(Compare at $462.50)

Tier 3: $262*

(Compare at $360.01)

Build Your Own Subscription*

Seeking a customized package? Build your own subscription by selecting 3-7 unique performances to receive 15% off individual ticket prices, or 8-17 unique performances to receive 20% off individual ticket prices.

*Annual Festival and Build Your Own Subscribers will receive a comparable discount code for both 2023 Steinmetz Hall performances. Purchases must be made via the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Individual Tickets

Reserved seating and limited General Admission tickets are on sale now. Discounted student and educator rush tickets available “at the door” with a school ID pending availability.

Pricing varies based on selections and will automatically include a 1% processing fee. A transaction fee of 2.5% will be added for credit card purchases.

FL 32789

MAILING ADDRESS: Bach Festival Society of Winter Park 1000 Holt Ave. Box #2763 Winter Park, FL 32789

ACCESSIBILITY

The Bach Festival Society is committed to making its program accessible to audiences. Tiedtke Concert Hall and Knowles Memorial Chapel on the Rollins College campus is Winter Park have accessible entrances and parking options available, as does Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando. Please call 407-646-2182 for assistance.

Performance details are subject to change. To learn more, please visit BachFestivalFlorida.org/ticket-policy.

ABOUT BACH

The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park’s mission is to inspire the human spirit through extraordinary music, featuring powerful choral performances and innovative programming that celebrates the legacy of J.S. Bach. The 89th Season will showcase a dynamic array of world-class musicians and vocalists performing classical masterworks and contemporary compositions that will delight, challenge, and inspire listeners.

MUSICMAKING INITIATIVES

The renowned Bach Festival Choir is comprised of auditioned singers, enjoying weekly rehearsals and specializing in singing choral masterworks in partnership with the Bach Festival Orchestra.

The Young at Heart Chorale is a volunteer singing group for those 55+ years young. The group has weekly rehearsals and performs outreach concerts at local community centers.

The Bach Festival Youth Choirs will make their highly anticipated return this fall. Young musicians will refine their musicianship skills through weekly rehearsals and will be featured in performances with the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra.

Photo credit: Sondra Jones

EDUCATION INITIATIVES

The Bach Festival Society’s Fresh StARTs program places professional musicians in elementary and secondary schools to present unique musical learning experiences. The newly formed Bach Vocal Artists offer educational outreach through open rehearsals, and in-school visits.

The world-renowned musicians featured in the Bach Festival Society’s Visiting Artists Series often present master classes to students and patrons. These classes offer a unique perspective on the process of creating musical excellence.

Our popular High School Honors Choral Festival provides valuable workshop/clinic feedback from collegiate choral directors recruited from across the country. This festival helps prepare high school choirs for their annual Music Performance Assessments.

Bach Festival Society’s newest Educational program is the Choir of Distinction. Each year Central FL choirs are invited to compete in a multi-phased audition process and adjudicated on tone, preparation and effect. The Lake Nona Singers from Lake Nona High School are the first recipient of the Choir of Distinction title. They will enjoy choral mentorship, invitations to Bach Festival Choir rehearsals and the opportunity to perform with the Bach Festival orchestra.

COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION

The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park believes that all people deserve equal access and opportunities to participate in a vibrant, creative life. We are committed to policies and practices to increase diversity in the governance and administration of the Society, to deliver programming that illuminates diverse experiences, and to engage the broader community through outreach and education.

Photo credit: Ruby Abreu

BACH IN THE COMMUNITY

In addition to the programs presented by the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, our talented musicians entertain at community events and partner with local and international arts and cultural organizations.

• Orlando Ballet: Balanchine Ballet: Serenade

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

September 21-24, 2023

Bach Festival String Ensemble

• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

October 8, 2023 at 7:30pm

Bach Festival Choir

• Rollins Museum of Art

October 24, 2023 from 6:00-7:00pm

Bach Chamber Choir

• Christmas in the Park presented by the City of Winter Park and Morse Museum of American Art, FREE and open to the public

November 30, 2023 from 6:15-8:15pm

Bach Festival Choir and Brass

• Lord of the Rings, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

January 26-28, 2024

Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra

• City of Winter Park’s Annual Fourth of July Celebration in Central Park, FREE and open to the public

July 4, 2024 from 9:00-11:00am

Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra

Learn more about these events at BachFestivalFlorida.org

This Week at Bach!

Sign up at BachFestivalFlorida.org for the latest news and insights on performances, artists and special events.

BachFestivalFlorida.org

International Recognition | Rigorous Rehearsals Challenging Repertoire

Since 1935, the Bach Festival Choir has been recognized by audiences and critics alike for its exceptional musicianship, national and international collaborations, and musical versatility within the classical genre. A cornerstone of the classical music tradition in the United States, the Winter Park Bach Choir is the longest-continuously performing chorus in Central Florida and the third longest-running Bach Choir in the country. LEARN MORE

BachFestivalFlorida.org/choir-auditions

Photo credit: Scott Cook

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZAZTION

U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROLLINS COLLEGE

1000 Holt Avenue, Box 2763 Winter Park, FL 32789

ON SALE NOW!

BachFestivalFlorida.org

Learn more and purchase tickets at BachFestivalFlorida.org/tickets

Major Support Provided By

Our 89th Season is supported by many generous individual donors as well as the Jessie Ball duPont Fund; Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation; Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation; Joe & Sarah Galloway Foundation; Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation; Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program; United Arts of Central Florida, host of OrlandoAtPlay.com and UAArtsEd.com; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council of Arts and Culture; City of Winter Park’s Community Redevelopment Agency; and Rollins College.