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 90th 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.
Photo credit: Earl Kogler
OFFICERS
Dr. John W. Schott, M.D., President
Dr. William C. Oelfke, Vice President
Mr. Michael J. Kakos, Treasurer
Mrs. Beverly J. Slaughter, Secretary
TRUSTEES
Mr. Richard O. Baldwin, Jr.
Dr. Grant Cornwell
Dr. Jefferson S. Flowers
Dr. B. Grant Hayes
The Hon. Cynthia Mackinnon
Ms. Beppy Landrum Owen
Mr. Victor Alexander Tiedtke
TRUSTEES EMERITI
The late M. Elizabeth Brothers
J. Michael Murphy
The late Rev. Eric Ravndal, III
STAFF
John V. Sinclair, Artistic Director and Conductor
Kathy Johnson Berlinsky, Executive Director
Rhonda Burnham, Artistic Manager
Deanna Tiedtke, Acting Marketing Director
Ruby Abreu, Marketing Manager
Sondra Jones, Education Manager
Logan Landry-Jennings, Operations Manager
Luke Noles, Administrative Coordinator
Sherry Orr, Assistant to John Sinclair
Regunia Griggs, Choir Liaison
Lynn Peghiny, Bach Choir Accompanist
Rebecca Hammac, Youth Choir Director
Vivian Cook, Young at Heart Choral Director
Sofia Cardi Bonfil, Youth Choir and Young at Heart Choral Accompanist
Major Support Provided By
Our 90th Season is supported by many generous individual donors as well as Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs program; United Arts of Central Florida, your local agency for the arts; Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation; Dr. Phillips Charities; Jessie Ball duPont Fund; Pabst Steinmetz Foundation; Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation; AdventHealth, Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation; The Joe & Sarah Galloway Foundation; Massey Services Inc.; and Rollins College.
JOHN V. SINCLAIR
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR
John V. Sinclair has established a national reputation as one of the leading conductors of choral masterworks while locally being known as one of the hardest-working and in-demand artists of the Central Florida cultural community. In his 35th season as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bach Festival Society, he has broadened the Society’s musical offerings of masterworks by both classical and contemporary composers into the repertoire of the Society while perpetuating his reputation as a scholarly interpreter of J.S. Bach’s music. He continues his imaginative programming, creative interpretations, and expressive conducting.
Dr. Sinclair, known as a master teacher, is Director of Music at Rollins College and holds the John M. Tiedtke Endowed Chair. As a career educator, Sinclair keeps the Society’s educational focus vital by providing a broad range of musical programs and experiences for individuals of all ages. As a conductor who is equally adept at directing choral and orchestral music, he has been referred to as Central Florida’s “resident conductor.” Sinclair has appeared as conductor for more than a thousand EPCOT Candlelight performances in addition to his work as a clinician and lecturer.
The Bach Festival, under his leadership, has achieved international recognition by touring in Europe, producing nationally released CDs and broadcasts, and performing with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra during their Florida residencies.
Dr. Sinclair holds master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Conservatory of Music. His undergraduate school, William Jewell College, honored him with its most prestigious Citation for Achievement. In addition to editing and interpreting historical choral works through the Moravian Music Foundation, he has authored an anecdotal book entitled Falling Off the Podium and Other Life Lessons. The late Terry Teachout, formerly the Wall Street Journal’s arts critic, once wrote, “John is a gifted conductor, a great educator, and the best of all possible colleagues.” For more than three decades, John Sinclair has shared his talent and dedication to musical excellence with the Central Florida community and beyond.
Photo credit: David Bean
Photo credit: Mary Kent
Bach Festival Society of Winter Park Presents
MOZART AND RICKETTS
Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra
John V. Sinclair Artistic Director and Conductor
Clara Rottsolk, soprano | Morgan Davis Peckels, mezzo-soprano
Steven Soph, tenor | Brian Ming Chu, bass Sunday, November 3, 2024•3:00pm | Steinmetz Hall
PROGRAM
Finlandia, Opus 26 (9’) Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Songs of War and Peace (20) Ted Ricketts
1. Beat! Beat! Drums - Based on a poem by Walt Whitman
2. Suicide in the Trenches - Based on a poem by Siegfried Sassoon
3. War is Kind - Based on a poem by Stephen Crane
4. Reconciliation - Based on a poem by Walt Whitman
5. You are the Light of the World/Dona Nobis Pacem Lyrics by Sarah Moore, Sherilyn Draper & Ted Ricketts
INTERMISSION
Serenade in C, K. 648 (Ganz Kleine Nachtmusi) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1. Marche (1756-1791)
2. Allegro
3. Menuet & Trio
4. Polonese
5. Adagio
6. Menuet & Trio
7. Finale
Requiem in d minor, K. 626 (60’) W. A. Mozart
I. Introit: Requiem
II. Kyrie
III. Sequence
1. Dies irae
2. Tuba mirum
3. Rex tremendae
4. Recordare
5. Confutatis
6. Lacrimosa
IV. Offertory
1. Domine Jesu
2. Hostias
V. Agnus Dei
VI. Communion
1. Lux aeterna
The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park extends deep appreciation to: Mr. Alexander and The Hon. Cynthia Mackinnon for sponsoring this performance.
The Charles F. de Ganahl Family Foundation for sponsoring the recording of Ted Ricketts' "Songs of War and Peace."
Please turn off cell phone and electronic devices prior to the start of this performance. The Bach Festival Society’s policies strictly prohibit photography, filming, or recording of any kind during performances without the express written permission of the Society.
TED RICKETTS
Ted Ricketts is a highly creative music professional with national and international experience producing and directing live and recorded music. In his 24-year tenure as Music Director and Producer for Walt Disney World, Ted contributed to hundreds of stage shows, parades, concerts and atmospheric instrumental and vocal groups for Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. In addition, he produced recordings in major cities in Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States. As an innovative composer, arranger and orchestrator, Ted's commissioned and published works have been heard on television, commercially produced albums, in Walt Disney theme parks, and performed live throughout the world. Ted’s current clients include The Walt Disney Company (Hong Kong Disneyland parade and fireworks shows, the BBC Concert Orchestra Prom in Hyde Park, and the San Francisco Symphony July 4 2006 Disney Concert), VEE Corporation (Dragon Tales and Care Bears national tours), Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, TKG (McDonald’s and Takeda Pharmaceuticals global conferences), and Tokyo Disneyland Resort (FUNderful).
Ted has over 100 compositions and arrangements for orchestra and concert band published by the Hal Leonard Corporation. Drum Taps, a choral trilogy for orchestra and choir based on the war poems of Walt Whitman and Stephen Crane, was commissioned and premiered in 2000 by the Winter Park, Florida Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra.
Mr. Ricketts holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Master of Arts in Music from California State University at Long Beach. Early in his career, he served as Assistant Director of the marching band and concert band at Long Beach City College. At the high school level, Ted was Director of Music at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California. In recent years, Ted has been a college instructor in Commercial Music Arranging at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Ted has recently relocated to Los Angeles, where he is currently a freelance music director, producer, composer and arranger.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist
FEATURED POETS
WALT WHITMAN
Walter Whitman Jr. (1819–1892) was a pioneering American poet, essayist, and journalist, considered a father of free verse. Born in Long Island and raised in Brooklyn, he left formal schooling at 11 to work as a journalist, teacher, and government clerk. His major work, Leaves of Grass (1855), self-published, expressed transcendentalism and realism. During the Civil War, Whitman cared for wounded soldiers, influencing his poetry on loss and healing. He admired Lincoln, writing "O Captain! My Captain!" after the president’s assassination. Whitman spent his later years in Camden, New Jersey, and remains one of America's most influential poets.
SIEGFRIED SASSOON
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (1886–1967) was an English writer and soldier, renowned for his First World War poetry and bravery on the Western Front. His works vividly depicted the horrors of trench warfare and critiqued the jingoism that fueled the conflict. In 1917, Sassoon made a bold protest against the war with his "Soldier's Declaration," which led to his confinement at Craiglockhart War Hospital. Beyond poetry, Sassoon earned acclaim for his prose, especially the Sherston trilogy, a semi-autobiographical account of his wartime experiences. He remains one of the most significant voices of the war generation.
STEPHEN CRANE
Stephen Crane (1871–1900) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer known for his innovative works in Realism, Naturalism, and Impressionism. Born into a Methodist family, Crane began writing as a child and left Syracuse University to become a journalist. His first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893), pioneered American Naturalism. Crane gained international fame with The Red Badge of Courage (1895), a Civil War novel. He later became a war correspondent, surviving a shipwreck he described in "The Open Boat." Crane’s vivid, intense writing influenced 20th-century authors like Ernest Hemingway before his early death from tuberculosis at 28.
Photo credit: George Collins Cox
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Photo credit: Wikipedia
SARAH MOORE
Sarah Moore is an Orlando, Florida based Music Producer. She has been involved with composing, arranging, coaching, recording and directing vocals for live performance and recorded playback for shows and events including theme parks, conventions, television shows, ads, theater, cruise ships and more. Her vocals have been a part of the Disney experience for more than 30 years, and hundreds of her compositions play regularly in theme parks, schools and churches around the world. Sarah has recorded and performed live with artists as diverse as Gloria Estefan, The Newsboys, Molly Hatchett and Charley Rich. She has voiced ads for hundreds of radio and television clients including Chevrolet, State Farm, AMC Theaters, Kentucky Fried Chicken and many more. Sarah has also worked extensively with some of the world’s top companies, such as Warner Brothers and Hal Leonard, making sure that the quality of their publisher’s demos is at the highest level.
As a writer, Sarah Moore has published over 800 songs in a wide variety of fields. Her original compositions have been utilized in Disney parks worldwide. She created 25 songs for the American Bible Society’s children’s animated series “Kingsley’s Meadow”, which aired on TBS and INSP TV. Her songs written in conjunction with Advance Publishing’s “Sommer-Time Stories” have won over 40 national awards and are used in many schools nationwide. She wrote and produced 9 songs for Florida Hospital that have been used in VBS programs, in patient packets and in live productions...one of which was hosted by Michele Obama as part of her “Let’s Move!” campaign. One of Sarah’s strengths is working with clients to determine their needs, and then finding just the right lyric, melody and style to make their vision a reality.
Sarah earned screen credit as Music Performance Supervisor (third season) for Nickelodeon Studios’ highly acclaimed children’s series, “Allegra’s Window”. She has also enjoyed multiple seasons as children’s chorus director for the “Barney and Friends” television show and videos and working on a host of other projects such as the “Character Counts” video series, “Reppies”, and PBS’s “Dooley and Pals”.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist
SHERILYN DRAPER
As an internationally known creative producer, director and writer, Sherilyn Draper has conceived, written and directed shows and events for clients all over the world. She can follow a project from concept to completion either as the creative leader or a member of the project team. Participating as a concept developer, treatment, story and script writer, or director, Sherilyn is well versed in all aspects of the live entertainment production process. Whether the entertainment endeavor is a live stage show, arena style children’s show, parade, spectacular or branded corporate special event, Sherilyn is known for her ability to quickly recognize the core essence of a project. The result is highly creative, targeted entertainment that fundamentally represents the subject matter. It has been her greatest honor to work alongside teams at Universal Studios Japan, Universal Parks and Experiences, The Walt Disney Company, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND and many more. Ms. Draper believes every day is an opportunity to create more joy in the world, one show at a time.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist
CLARA ROTTSOLK, SOPRANO
Soprano Clara Rottsolk has been lauded by The New York Times for her “clear, appealing voice and expressive conviction” and by The Philadelphia Inquirer for the “opulent tone [with which] every phrase has such a communicative emotional presence.” In repertoire extending from the Renaissance to the contemporary, her solo appearances have taken her across the U.S., the Middle East, Japan, and South America. She specializes in historically- informed performance practice and has sung with such ensembles as American Bach Soloists, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Pacific MusicWorks, Virginia Symphony, Atlanta Baroque, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Piffaro, Colorado Bach Ensemble, Seraphic Fire, New Mexico Symphonic Chorus, ARTEK, St Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Philadelphia Bach Collegium, Trinity Wall Street Choir, and the Masterwork Chorus. As a recitalist, she has performed throughout the U.S., in venues including the Goethe-Institut Boston, St. Mark’s Church Philadelphia and Swarthmore College, and at the Carmel Bach Festival, Whidbey Island Music Festival, and the Brevard Music Center. Her recordings include Myths and Allegories (French Baroque cantatas with Les Délices), and Scarlatti Cantatas with Tempesta di Mare. A native of Seattle, currently based in Philadelphia, Rottsolk earned her music degrees at Rice University and Westminster Choir College and received an award for musical excellence from the Metropolitan Opera National Council.
Photo credit: Marjorie Durante
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist
MORGAN DAVIS PECKELS, MEZZO-SOPRANO
Mezzo-Soprano Morgan Peckels is an active performer and highly sought after voice teacher in the Central Florida area. She can be seen singing with the numerous orchestras and performance groups in the state of Florida such as the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, The Orlando Philharmonic, Space Coast Symphony, Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orlando, and Orlando’s Messiah Choral Society. She is a founding member of The Bach Vocal Artists with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, and her solo oratorio credits include Bach’s Magnificat and B Minor Mass, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Juditha triumphans, and Mozart’s Requiem as well as more modern works such as Dan Forrest’s Jubilate Deo and Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light where she was praised by Matt Palm of the Orlando Sentinel for her “hauntingly lamenting tones”. Her operatic credits include The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly as well as roles in Trouble in Tahiti, Dido and Aeneas, and La Rondine. Earning her bachelor’s degree from Elon University and her master’s from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Morgan is currently on the voice faculty at Rollins College in Winter Park and runs a thriving private studio from her home in Winter Springs.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist
FEATURED ARTIST
STEVEN SOPH, TENOR
Steven Soph has appeared in Handel’s Messiah with the symphonies of Fort Worth, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Colorado Pro Musica, the New World Symphony and the Bach Society of St. Louis, Master Chorale of South Florida, Handel Oratorio Society, Seraphic Fire, Spire Chamber Ensemble, Apollo Chorus of Chicago, Bourbon Baroque, Variant 6, Oklahoma Bach Choir, Messiah Choral Society (Orlando, Florida), and the Alpine Chorale. He has also appeared with the Boston Symphony in Handel’s Israel in Egypt, the Meyerson Symphony Center in Berlioz’s Requiem, and joined the University of Iowa for Britten’s War Requiem
Steven returns to Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall for Bach’s Mass in B minor; to Choral Arts Philadelphia in Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, and the Oregon Bach Festival for performances of Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor. He also appears with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Rhode Island’s Ensemble Altera, Winter Park Florida’s Bach Vocal Artists, Washington Bach Consort, Yale Choral Artists, Handel’s Oratorio Society, Spire Chamber Ensemble, Apollo, Bourbon Baroque, Oklahoma Bach Choir, Messiah Choral Society (Orlando, Florida), and the Alpine Chorale (Denver). With the Choral Arts Philadelphia Steven debuted the North American premiers of Carissimi’s rediscovered oratorios Goliath and Noah
An active Bach interpreter, Steven has performed “with a tenor ranging from feathered intimacies to powerful, glinting top notes” (The Dallas Morning News). Steven performs with top American vocal ensembles including GRAMMY® Award-nominated True Concord Voices & Orchestra; GRAMMY® Award-winning Roomful of Teeth and Conspirare; Gramophone® finalist Cut Circle; Santa Fe Desert Chorale; Oregon Bach Festival; Colorado Bach Ensemble; and Spire Chamber Ensemble.
Recent recording credits include solos on Baltimore Choral Arts Society’s 2023 “Mozart’s Requiem,” solos on 2021 GRAMMY®-nominated “The Singing Guitar” with Conspirare, Seraphic Fire's "Steal Away," and tenor vocals on Maná's 2015 Latin GRAMMY® Award-winning Best Pop/Rock Album "Cama Incendiada."
During the pandemic, Steven performed in True Concord Voices & Orchestra’s “bubble” season, recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts in The Art of Reopening: A Guide to Current Practices Among Arts Organizations During COVID-19. He also contributed to remote projects with Seraphic Fire, Master Chorale of South Florida, and Victoria Bach Festival.
Steven holds degrees from the University of North Texas and Yale School of Music where he studied with renowned tenor James Taylor. Steven attended the American Bach Soloists Academy in 2011, was a 2014 Carmel Bach Festival Adams Fellow, and a 2016 Oregon Bach Festival Young Artist.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist
BRIAN MING CHU, BARITONE
Acclaimed by The Washington Post for his “sterling performances”, baritone Brian Ming Chu has established himself onstage as a dynamic interpreter of music from the Baroque to the Great American Songbook. Hailed for his “rich, authoritative tone" (Kansas City Metropolis), and “range, agility, and expressive storytelling ability” (Monterey Herald), he has been a regular soloist with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Brandywine Baroque, the Dryden Ensemble, La Fiocco, The King’s Noyse, Piffaro, the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Washington Bach Consort, as well as the Caramoor and Carmel Bach music festivals. As a lecturer in voice at Muhlenberg for fifteen years, he brings critical thinking from the performer’s perspective to his analytical approach to pedagogy.
A specialist in oratorio and choral music, he has given numerous performances in the title role of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the Bach Passions, Haydn’s Creation, the Brahms, Mozart and Verdi Requiems, and Handel’s Messiah on three continents. Additional credits include Orff’s Carmina Burana, Finzi’s In terra pax, Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. He premiered the role of Rudyard Kipling in John Muehleisen’s A Kipling Passion for the WWI centenary in Kansas City and performed the role of Martin Luther in Ludwig Meinardus’ 1876 oratorio, Luther in Worms, with the Bach Choir Eisenach and Dresden Singakademie, for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Mr. Chu made his Kennedy Center debut in Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 with the Choral Arts Society of Washington.
On the operatic stage, he has performed with opera companies around the country, appearing in signature roles that inclue La Bohème, The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville, and Pagliacci. With the Bethlehem Bach Choir, he premiered multiple roles in their newly-commissioned (2014) opera, Young Meister Bach
A passionate advocate for contemporary art song, Mr. Chu has been cited for “vocal and interpretive confidence” (Philadelphia Inquirer) in repeat appearances with the modern ensemble Network for New Music. He has appeared in recital at Carnegie’s Weill and Merkin Halls in New York, the Annenberg Center for the Arts, Washington's Phillips Collection, and as a US Embassy Cultural Artist in French West Africa and Vienna, Austria.
Mr. Chu did his graduate work in voice and opera at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cornell University. Additionally, he has taught on the voice faculties of Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges, Lehigh University, and Rowan University.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist
Commissioned by the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park
Dr. John Sinclair, Artistic Director and Conductor
World premiere November 3, 2024 in Orlando, Florida
SONGS OF WAR AND PEACE
Composed by Ted Ricketts (ASCAP)
1. Beat! Beat! Drums
Based on a poem by Walt Whitman
Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Through the windows—through doors—burst like a ruthless force, Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation, Into the school where the scholar is studying, Leave not the bridegroom quiet—no happiness must he have now with his bride, Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his field or gathering his grain, So fierce you whirr and pound you drums—so shrill you bugles blow.
Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Over the traffic of cities—over the rumble of wheels in the streets; Are beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses? no sleepers must sleep in those beds,
No bargainers’ bargains by day—no brokers or speculators—would they continue? Would the talkers be talking? would the singer attempt to sing? Would the lawyer rise in the court to state his case before the judge? Then rattle quicker, heavier drums—you bugles wilder blow.
Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Make no parley—stop for no expostulation, Mind not the timid—mind not the weeper or prayer, Mind not the old man beseeching the young man, Let not the child’s voice be heard, nor the mother’s entreaties, Make even the trestles to shake the dead where they lie awaiting the hearses, So strong you thump O terrible drums—so loud you bugles blow.
2. Suicide in the Trenches
Based on a poem by Siegfried Sassoon
I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy, Slept soundly through the lonesome dark, And whistled early with the lark.
In winter trenches, cowed and glum, With crumps and lice and lack of rum, He put a bullet through his brain. No one spoke of him again.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by, Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
3. War is Kind
Based on a poem by Stephen Crane
Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind. Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone, Do not weep.
War is kind.
Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment, Little souls who thirst for fight, These men were born to drill and die. The unexplained glory flies above them, Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom— A field where a thousand corpses lie.
Do not weep, babe, for war is kind. Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches, Raged at his breast, gulped and died, Do not weep. War is kind.
Swift, blazing flag of the regiment, Eagle with crest of red and gold, These men were born to drill and die. Point for them the virtue of slaughter, Make plain to them the excellence of killing And a field where a thousand corpses lie.
Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind.
4. Reconciliation
Based on a poem by Walt Whitman
Word over all, beautiful as the sky!
Beautiful that war, and all its deeds of carnage, must in time be utterly lost; That the hands of the sisters Death and Night, incessantly softly wash again, and ever again, this soil’d world: . . . For my enemy is dead—a man divine as myself is dead; I look where he lies, white-faced and still, in the coffin—I draw near; bend down and touch lightly with my lips the white face in the coffin.
5. You are the Light of the World/Dona Nobis Pacem Lyrics by Sarah Moore, Sherilyn Draper, & Ted Ricketts
You are the light of the world. Rise up and show the way. Where there is hate, anger and pain, let your light be love. You are the light of the world. Rise up and shine like the dawn. Where there is greed, discord, mistrust, let your song be grace.
We can be a beacon of hope where there is fear. Step into the darkness and be the light.
We can make tomorrow a better, brighter day. Step into the darkness and be the light.
You are the light of the world. Rise up and share in the work. Where there is war, chaos, and strife, let your light be peace!
Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Sing a song of love. Sing a song of grace. Sing a song of peace. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Live in peace. Sing a song of peace and goodwill.
You are the light of the world. Rise up and show the way. Where there is hate, anger and pain, let your light be love. You are the light of the world. Rise up and shine like the dawn. Where there is greed, discord, mistrust, let your light be grace.
Let there be love. Let there be grace. Let there be peace. Let your light shine into the dark, let there be hope. Dona nobis pacem.
You are the light of the world. Rise up and shine through the dark. Rise up in love. Rise up in grace. Rise up, rise up in peace. Rise up and shine!
REQUIEM, W.A. MOZART
I. Introit: Requiem
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. Exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis care veniet.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.
II. Kyrie
Kyrie, eleison. Christe, eleison. Kyrie, eleison.
III. Sequence
Dies irae
Dies irae, dies illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla, teste David cum Sibylla. Quantus tremor est futurus, quando judex est venturus, cuncta stricte discussurus!
Tuba mirum
Tuba mirum spargens sonum per sepulcra regionum, coget omnes ante thronum. Mors stupebit et natura, cum resurget creatura, judicanti responsura. Liber scriptus proferetur, in quo totum continetur, unde mundus judicetur. Judex ergo cum sedebit, quidquid latet, apparebit, nil inultum remanebit.
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? quem patronum rogaturus, cum vix justus sit securus?
Grant them eternal rest, Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them. You are praised, God, in Zion, and homage will be paid to You in Jerusalem.
Hear my prayer, to You all flesh will come. Grant them eternal rest, Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Day of wrath, day of anger will dissolve the world in ashes, as foretold by David and the Sibyl. Great trembling there will be when the Judge descends from heaven to examine all things closely.
The trumpet will send its wondrous sound throughout earth's sepulchres and gather all before the throne. Death and nature will be astounded, when all creation rises again, to answer the judgement. A book will be brought forth, in which all will be written, by which the world will be judged. When the judge takes his place, what is hidden will be revealed, nothing will remain unavenged.
What shall a wretch like me say? Who shall intercede for me, when the just ones need mercy?
Rex tremendae
Rex tremendae majestatis, qui salvandos salvas gratis, salve me, fons pietatis.
Recordare
Recordare, Jesu pie, quod sum causa tuae viae; ne me perdas illa die.
Quaerens me, sedisti lassus, redemisti crucem passus; tantus labor non sit cassus.
Juste judex ultionis, donum fac remissionis ante diem rationis.
Ingemisco, tamquam reus: culpa rubet vultus meus; supplicanti parce, Deus.
Qui Mariam absolvisti, et latronem exaudisti, mihi quoque spem dedisti.
Preces meae non sunt dignae, sed tu, bonus, fac benigne, ne perenni cremer igne.
Inter oves locum praesta,
Et ab haedis me sequestra, Statuens in parte dextra.
Confutatis
Confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis, voca me cum benedictus.
Oro supplex et acclinis, cor contritum quasi cinis, gere curam mei finis.
Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa dies illa, qua resurget ex favilla judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus, pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem. Amen.
King of tremendous majesty, who freely saves those worthy ones, save me, source of mercy.
Remember, kind Jesus, my salvation caused your suffering; do not forsake me on that day.
Faint and weary you have sought me, redeemed me, suffering on the cross; may such great effort not be in vain.
Righteous judge of vengeance, grant me the gift of absolution before the day of retribution.
I moan as one who is guilty: owning my shame with a red face; suppliant before you, Lord. You, who absolved Mary, and listened to the thief, give me hope also.
My prayers are unworthy, but, good Lord, have mercy, and rescue me from eternal fire.
Provide me a place among the sheep, and separate me from the goats, guiding me to Your right hand.
When the accused are confounded, and doomed to flames of woe, call me among the blessed.
I kneel with submissive heart, my contrition is like ashes, help me in my final condition.
That day of tears and mourning, when from the ashes shall arise, all humanity to be judged. Spare us by your mercy, Lord, gentle Lord Jesus, grant them eternal rest. Amen.
IV. Offertory
Domine Jesu
Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae, libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.
Libera eas de ore leonis, ne absorbeat eas tartarus, ne cadant in obscurum.
Sed signifer sanctus Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam. Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.
Hostias
Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus.
Tu sucipe pro animabus illis, quaram hodie memoriam facimus.
Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam, Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.
V. Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam.
VI. Communion: Lux aeterna
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.
Requiem aeternum dona eis, Domine, et Lux perpetua luceat eis, cum Sanctus tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.
Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, liberate the souls of the faithful, departed from the pains of hell and from the bottomless pit. Deliver them from the lion's mouth, lest hell swallow them up, lest they fall into darkness. Let the standard-bearer, holy Michael, bring them into holy light. Which was promised to Abraham and his descendants.
Sacrifices and prayers of praise, Lord, we offer to You.
Receive them in behalf of those souls we commemorate today. And let them, Lord, pass from death to life, which was promised to Abraham and his descendants.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant them eternal rest.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Grant them eternal rest.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant them eternal rest forever.
Let eternal light shine on them, Lord, as with Your saints in eternity, because You are merciful.
Grant them eternal rest, Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them, as with Your saints in eternity, because You are merciful.
PROGRAM NOTES
FINLANDIA, JEAN SIBELIUS
As a talented young violinist, Sibelius left his homeland to study music in Berlin and Vienna, where he claimed to be influenced by the works of musical greats such as Bruckner, Greig, and Tchaikovsky. But when Sibelius returned home to Helsinki, he chose not to adopt a more international style, but rather to allow his nationalistic tendencies to capture the essence of Finland through symphonic poems, such as Finlandia
During a speech in February of 1899, Tsar Nicholas II declared that Russia could impose its will upon Finland, without any approval of local leaders. This declaration only served to fuel the determination of the Finns to establish a sovereign country.
Sibelius who typically stayed removed from political commentary, composed Finlandia as a statement against Russian censorship laws, subtly nurturing patriotism through his art. This work helped solidify the collective call to toughen the resolve of the opposition and in 1917 when Finland finally achieved its independence, the work became a celebratory anthem.
The music itself is direct, powerful, and rousing, yet simple in structure and steeped with emotion. The moving “Finlandia Hymn” at the end, soon became a second national anthem for Finland, a country that still celebrates Jean Sibelius as a national hero.
SONGS OF WAR AND PEACE, TED RICKETTS
Composer Ted Ricketts' work, Songs of War and Peace beautifully melds music and poetry to convey his powerful message—the story of war’s horrors and the yearning for peace. He poignantly illuminates the conflict’s ghastly nature through the first four movements and then comforts the listener with the piece’s final words of hope.
Movement One begins with Walt Whitman’s poem “Beat, Beat Drums,” a call to action written shortly after the first battle of the Civil War. The conflict became personal after the poet visited a battlefield where his brother shared his own experiences as a soldier. Whitman later wrote about observing piles of amputated limbs on that killing field and the lingering aftermath of battle he observed while serving in a hospital for wounded soldiers. This first section’s epic sound imbues a cinematic atmosphere matching the poet’s powerful text, and the dialogue between the Choir, brass, and percussion captures in sound the anger and chaos while simultaneously maintaining its tonal sense.
Movement Two is brief and sobering as its succinct elegy pits the heroic against the pathetic. Using for its textual base “Suicide in the Trenches” by young British poet Siegfried Sassoon writing about WWI, the poem avoids self-pity as it describes realities of war that lead to a soldier’s suicide. The movement becomes even more evocative when paired with Ricketts haunting melody which he said emerged intact from the first reading of the poem.
PROGRAM NOTES
Movement Three opens with an aggressive orchestral introduction enlisting pounding rhythmic ostinato string writing accentuated by woodwind and brass flourishes. The sudden change in timbre allows the choir to powerfully emote, “I cried for you” before the orchestra reinstates anger, then subdues the tempo for singers to tenderly intone, “Do not weep maiden, war is kind.” The continual tension/release makes the absurd irony of poet Stephen Crane’s “War Is Kind” even more heart-wrenching.
Movement Four opens with non-verbal singing and creates the effect of crying and sobbing that are war’s aftermath. Paired with text from Whitman’s “Reconciliation,” the listener is reminded that the conflict is over but the gruesome carnage and unimaginable grief remain. Ricketts achieves this effect by seamlessly intertwining music and lyrics to produce a mournfulness that doesn’t allow us to forget our grief.
The last movement majestically celebrates the triumph over war. Ricketts reflects that while composing this section he was reminded, “War doesn’t ever seem far from us, and we have a responsibility to do something to accomplish peace.” He combined the traditional text, “Dona Nobis Pacem” (Grant us peace), with positive yet actionable lyrics co-written with Sherilyn Draper and Sarah Moore. In tandem with the music’s weighty joyfulness, the inspiring last words, “Rise up and shine,” compel us to remember that peace begins with each of us.
REQUIEM, W.A. MOZART
The musician baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart is unrivaled for his prodigious ability and creative output as a composer and performer, but his last work had a personal essence not found in most of his music. His Requiem remains one of the greatest mysteries of classical music.
Mozart was no stranger to illness, with a long history of upper respiratory and staph infections, in addition to other conditions such as rheumatic fever. His already precarious health declined rapidly during the final few months of his life with just over the last two weeks spent bed-ridden while dictating the Requiem. Notes left by Mozart’s doctors have led current day physicians to theorize that he died from a combination of streptococcal infection, Schönlein-Henoch Syndrome, renal failure, cerebral hemorrhage, and pneumonia.
In July 1791, five months before his death, a stranger wearing a mask and long dark cape presented an already weak and compromised Mozart with a letter commissioning a requiem. After the composer agreed to the project, the stranger returned a few days later providing half of the fee, the remainder to be paid when the composition was delivered.
Mozart immediately started to work with the underlying belief that he was writing a mass for his own death adding to the immediacy of the project. His efforts were interrupted by the need to finish the opera La Clemenza di Tito, a Little Masonic Cantata, the Clarinet Concerto, and to prepare the Magic Flute for its premier on
PROGRAM NOTES
September 30. As validated by a letter to his librettist Ponte, while Mozart was fully engaged in other pressing work, the requiem never left his mind. He wrote: “My head is confused. It is only with difficulty that I can keep my thoughts collected. The image of that stranger will not part from my eyes. I always see him before me; he asks, he urges me, he impatiently demands the work from me. I continue because composing tires me less than rest … I feel it, my condition tells me; my hour has struck. I shall have to die. So, I am finishing my funeral dirge. I must not leave it incomplete.”
At fifty-five minutes past mid-night on December 5, 1791 Mozart died with his Requiem unfinished, leaving his wife Constance scrambling to find someone to complete the work. A past student and friend, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, who visited the composer often during his final illness, eventually took over the task of completion.
And now, the tale’s conclusion. The mysterious stranger negotiating the Requiem was representing Count Franz von Walsegg, who intended to take the famed composer’s music and pass it off as his own. The work was finally performed by Walsegg in December 1793 in remembrance of his recently departed wife, but in time he admitted the work was Mozart’s.
Except for his operatic writing, Mozart’s compositions from June 1791 forward, including “Ave Verum Corpus” and Requiem, reflect a sustained seriousness rarely found in his earlier pieces. Such frenzied and profound treatment of the work bears evidence of a frightened and fragile man in his last days.
Composing the opening of a large-scale work might be compared to writing the first sentence of a novel with the attempt to draw the audience in and to provide a glimpse of what might be in store. Mozart doesn’t disappoint. He is predictably unpredictable beginning with a solemn but understated opening few phrases while saving the ominous tone for the choir’s entrance. He succeeds in making the first two movements feverishly intense, and one can only imagine how careful he was in creating such a sense of expectation.
The steady pace at the beginning feels like a deliberate and slow ascent to impending death with a gentle pause allowing us to catch our breath before charging into the assertive “Kyrie” section. This section provides Mozart with two compositional opportunities. First, through the text, he earnestly pleas for mercy, while secondly showing off his mastery of fugal writing. Mozart’s writing tells us he is not going to the grave quietly. The dramatic “Dies Irae” movement that follows accomplishes the fearfulness Mozart depicts in facing the Day of Wrath.
Next, in the stately “Tuba mirum” a trombone solo summons all before the throne only to move to an aggressive “Rex tremendae,” King of fearful majesty, movement which ends with the choir pleading “save me.” The next movement, “Recordare,” elegantly allows soloists to remind Christ to not “cast me out that day.”
But it is during the “Lacrimosa” where the mystery begins. Most scholars concur that through the first eight measures of this movement, the work is pure Mozart, but more than two centuries later, we don’t know whether Süssmayr finished the work with
directions from Mozart or if the remainder was original. Interestingly, the last words we know Mozart set were, “O how tearful that day……spare them O God.”
The “Offerorium” section includes a frantic “Domine Jesu” with the text asking the “King of Glory to liberate the souls,” followed by the “Hostias” movement where the music gently requests “the dead to pass to eternal life.”
The powerful “Sanctus” movement is formulaic, a rather typical rhythmic “Sanctus” ending with an exuberant “Hosanna.” The “Benedictus” movement’s structure is also predictable given this part of a requiem is often sung by soloists and ends with the choir reprising the “Hosanna” refrain.
The “Agnus Dei” section treats the text, “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant them peace” with an uncharacteristic urgency.
What happens next is truly unique and brilliant. Süssmayr allows the work to end as it began, using Mozart’s musical ideas with different text. There are only a few moments that don’t feel Mozartian, so it is difficult to believe that a composer such as Sussmayr, whose music was not considered exemplary in his own time, could have taken an incomplete masterpiece by Mozart and finished it so beautifully. Count me among those who believe the master shared his vision and ideas with Süssmayr before his death.
Mozart’s instrumental choices are intriguing. He uses basset horns, but he had just finished his divine Clarinet Concerto, so why not use clarinets? One could speculate that the basset horn was chosen for its lower, more melancholy sound, the same reason J.S. Bach uses the viola da gamba in his passion settings. Both instruments produce a mournfulness other instruments don’t possess. Noticeably absent are flutes, oboes, and horns.
Mozart’s music is as relevant today as it was over two-hundred years ago, and the commonality of emotions he was expressing are timeless. This work was personal for him. He literally died working on it, and all that is required of us is to listen. . . to breath it in. Mozart will do the rest.
– Program Notes by Dr. John Sinclair
Bach Festival Society of Winter Park Presents
VISITING ARTISTS SERIES
EDGAR MEYER TRIO
Sunday, November 10, 2024 | 3:00pm | Tiedtke Concert Hall
PROGRAM
Gamba Sonata in G Major, BWV 1027
Johann Sebastian Bach
I. Adagio (1685-1750)
II. Allegro ma non tanto
III. Andante
IV. Allegro moderato
THE REST OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE ANNOUNCED FROM THE STAGE
Meyer String Trio 1986
Meyer New String Trio
INTERMISSION
Edgar Meyer (born 1960)
Meyer String Trio 1988
Commissioning support provided by:
Aspen Music Festival and School, Robert Spano, Music Director
Big Ears Festival
Cal Performances
Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University
The Lied Center of Kansas – University of Kansas
Please turn off cell phone and electronic devices prior to the start of this performance. The Bach Festival Society’s policies strictly prohibit photography, filming, or recording of any kind during performances without the express written permission of the Society.
EDGAR MEYER, STRING BASS, COMPOSER
In demand as both a performer and a composer, Edgar Meyer has formed a role in the music world unlike any other. Hailed by The New Yorker as ‘’the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively un-chronicled history of his instrument.” Mr. Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship in combination with his gift for composition have brought him to the fore, where he is appreciated by a vast and varied audience. His uniqueness in the field was recognized by a MacArthur Award in 2002.
As a solo classical bassist, Meyer can be heard on a concerto album with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra conducted by Hugh Wolff featuring Bottesinia’s Gran Duo with Joshua Bell, Meyer’s own Double Concerto for Bass and Cello with Yo-Yo Ma, Bottesinia’s Bass Concerto No. 2. He has also recorded an album featuring three of Bach’s Unaccompanied Suites for Cello. In 2006, he released a self-titled solo recording on which he wrote and recorded all of the music, incorporating piano, guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, gamba, and double bass. In 2007, recognizing his wide-ranging recording achievements, Sony/BMG released a compilation of “The Best of Edgar Meyer.” In 2011, Meyer joined cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mandolinist Chris Thile, and fiddler Stuart Duncan for the Sony Masterworks recording Goat Rodeo Session which was awarded the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.
As a composer, his music has been premiered and recorded by Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Hilary Hahn and the Emerson String Quartet, among others. The Nashville Symphony and the Aspen Music Festival and School commissioned his first purely orchestral work which was premiered by the Nashville Symphony in March 2017. Additionally, Bravo! Vail and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields commissioned an Overture for Violin and Orchestra that was premiered by Joshua Bell and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in June 2017.
Photo credit: Jim McQuire
FEATURED ARTIST
TESSA LARK, VIOLINIST, COMPOSER, ARRANGER
Violinist Tessa Lark is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance. In 2020 she was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category, and she is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky.
Highlights of Lark’s 2023-24 season include the world premiere of Carlos Izcaray’s Violin Concerto and performances of Michael Torke’s violin concerto, Sky – both pieces written for her – as well as her European orchestral debut with the Stuttgart Philharmonic. She also performs with the Virginia Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, England’s City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and others; and gives duo concerts with double bassist Michael Thurber and jazz guitarist Frank Vignola.
Lark’s newest album, The Stradgrass Sessions, was released this past spring. Her debut commercial recording was the Grammy-nominated SKY, and her discography also includes Fantasy; Invention, recorded with Michael Thurber; and a live recording of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.
In addition to her performance schedule, Lark champions young aspiring artists and supports the next generation of musicians through her work as Co-host/Creative of NPR’s From the Top
Lark plays a ca. 1600 G.P. Maggini violin on loan from an anonymous donor through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
Photo credit: Lauren Desberg
JOSHUA ROMAN, CELLIST, COMPOSER
Joshua Roman is a cello soloist and composer, hailed for his “effortlessly expressive tone… and playful zest for exploration” (The New York Times), as well as his “extraordinary technical and musical gifts" and “blend of precision and almost improvisatory freedom… that goes straight to the heart" (San Francisco Chronicle). His genre-bending programs and wide-ranging collaborations have grown out of an “enthusiasm for musical evolution that is as contagious as his love for the classics" (Seattle Times).
Committed to bringing Classical music to new audiences, Roman has collaborated with world-class artists across genres and disciplines, including Edgar Meyer, DJ Spooky, Tony-winner/MacArthur Genius Bill T. Jones, Grammy Award-winning East African vocalist Somi, and Tony Award-nominated actor Anna Deavere Smith. His concert of the complete Bach Solo Cello Suites after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election had nearly a million live viewers, and his solo performance with the YouTube Symphony at Carnegie Hall was viewed by 33 million people across nearly 200 countries, with Yo-Yo Ma introducing him as “one of the great exemplars of the ideal 21st century musician.”
As a soloist with an “exceptionally high quality of performances” (LA Times), Roman has performed with leading orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony, BBC Scottish, and Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra. As a composer, he has been commissioned by Music Academy of the West, Illinois Philharmonic, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, and Roman has also premiered new works composed for him by Mason Bates, Reena Esmail, Timo Andres, Gabriela Lena Frank, Aaron Jay Kernis, Lisa Bielawa, and others.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist
Bach Festival Society of Winter Park Presents
A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS
Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra
Bach Festival Youth Choir
John V. Sinclair, Artistic Director and Conductor
Rebecca Hammac, Youth Choir Director
Saturday, December 14, 2024 •2:00pm & 5:00pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel
Sunday, December 15, 2024 •2:00pm & 5:00pm | Knowles Memorial Chapel
PROGRAM
Set I
Angels We Have Heard on High arr. Derric Johnson
O Holy Night
In the Bleak Midwinter
Adolphe Adam / arr. Jamey Ray
Maya Clausen, soprano
Gustav Holst / arr. Michael Andrew Creighton
Masters in This Hall arr. Mark Hayes
Set II
O Come All Ye Faithful
John Francis Wade / arr. Maclane Schirard
Drummer Boy Katherine Davis / arr. Jody Dipiazza
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear arr. M. Schirard
Joy to the World Lowell Mason / arr. M. Schirard
Set III
Happy Holidays Christmas Overture
Il Est Né le Divin Enfant
Somewhere in My Memory
Let There Be Peace on Earth
Rick Mizell
arr. Russell Robinson / orch. M. Creighton
John Williams
Bach Festival Youth Choir
Jill and Sy Miller / arr. Ray
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane / arr. Christopher Weiss
Christmas Song Wells and Tormé/ arr. Ray
Silent Night Franz Grüber / arr. Ted Ricketts
Songs of the Season arr. Chuck Archard
Please turn off cell phone and electronic devices prior to the start of this performance. The Bach Festival Society’s policies strictly prohibit photography, filming, or recording of any kind during performances without the express written permission of the Society.
BACH FESTIVAL CHOIR
John V. Sinclair, Director
Lynn Peghiny, accompanist
Isabel Acuna, 4
Bryan Adames,* 4
Hallie Allen, 1
Katie Anderson, 2
Stewart Anderson, 4
Sue Antonition, 2
Catalina Arias, 7
Liz Ausburn, 4
Meg Baldwin, 5
Barby Barbara, 6
Will Barbara, 6
Samantha Basso, 2
Jim Beck, 13
Heather Bissett, 3
Kiana Blake, 1
Frederick Blanchard, 2
Andrew Bostrom
Richard Bump, 3
Michael Burridge, 25
Gayle Burton
Laurie Calhoun, 6
Melanie Campbell, 1
Sofia Cardi, 2
Julia Carpenter, 13
Charlie Carroll
Ellen Huey Cassel, 14
Richard Chambers
George Chandler, 7
Kateryna Cherenko, 1
Ashley Cieplensky
Anne Claiborne, 1
Maya Clausen, 4
Vivian Cook, 6
Michael Creighton, 3
Abigail Cribbs,* 1
Ari Cricks
Carl Davis, 22
Tim Delcavo, 9
Kollin Dembeck*
Mirjana Dimitrovska, 5
Jodi DiPiazza,* 3
Frank DiPietro, 4
Irina Dixon
Jacqueline Dixon, 1
Ricardo Dominguez
Ricardo Dominguez
Theresa Dulong, 15
Karen Dunscomb, 2
Lilliyan Duong,* 1
Dante Duphorne, 17
Ashley Duvé, 10
Cynthia Dybas, 9
Tabitha Dybas, 5
Dana Eagles, 14
Patti Eastwood, 1
Jolie Eichler, 17
Marjorie Emmert, 6
Mary Frances Emmons, 3
Jonathan Erick, 29
Matthew Ewy*
Raphael Arenas Fernandez, 4
Bob Fields, 6
Jay Forsythe, 2
Alice Fortunato, 5
Larry Fortunato, 10
Brad Gant, 3
Linda Gibson, 1
Joshua Gibson-Cribbs, 1
Rebekah Gibson-Cribbs, 1
Charlotte Giese
Gines Gines
Barbara Gomes, 1
Maribel Gomez, 1
Cheri Grayson, 1
Minet Gregory, 11
Regunia Griggs, 25
Gregg Gronlund, 26
James Guild, 2
Jeanné Hall, 5
Jennifer Hallenbeck, 8
Rebecca Hammac
Diane Hansen, 11
Grant Hayes, 5
Pia Hernandez,* 1
Sarah Hibbs
Richard Horn, 2
Ariel Hudak, 8
Rebecca Hull, 14
Silvia Ibañez, 8
Howard Jaffe, 5
Jenny Jimenez, 1
Gary Johanson
Elisabeth Johar, 2
Heather John, 9
Eltavious Johnson,* 2
Frederick Jones, 1
Sondra Jones, 14
Beth Kassander, 9
Erika Kellam, 1
Megan Kenney,* 1
BACH FESTIVAL CHOIR
Amanda Kinder, 7
Yen-Yen Kressel, 18
Rob Landry, 5
Caleb Lang
Elizabeth Lang
Brian Lanier
Rebekah Lewis, 1
Gary Li, 1
Arabella Lilleslatten,* 2
Kathleen LoPresti, 22
Leyse Lowry, 10
Clara Mansilla, 1
Julie Mathews, 2
Stephanie Matthews,* 1
David Mattson, 18
Carolyn Maue, 3
Elizabeth Maupin, 7
Michael McClory, 1
Justin McGill, 5
Margaret McMillen, 32
Rita Merlot, 16
Luiz Mestrinho, 5
Janice Meyer, 9
Susan Miller, 3
Stella Monner,* 3
Aleitha Morgan, 12
Natalie Morgan, 3
Margaret Munro, 1
Jack Nagle, 14
Gabe Narvaez Quintero*
Donald Nash, 45
John Niss, 30
Luke Noles, 9
Donna O'Connor, 1
Bill Oelfke, 35
Digna Ojito*
Betsy Owens, 12
Liana Pacilli, 12
Luis Padilla
Meredith Parker, 2
Kirsten Paulson, 4
Estrella Perez
Ashley Peters, 5
Cara Pfost Brown, 2
Martin Phillips, 24
Ryan Picard
Kurt Plotts, 19
Dan Preslar, 11
Veronica Prevost, 4
Bj Price, 20
Kate Reilly*
Sam Reynolds
Beverly Rich, 11
Abigail Rodriguez
David Romaine, 5
Mikaella Romero,* 2
Pamela Rosario, 9
Erin Rosel, 1
Michael Rosenblatt
Sebastian Sanchez,* 2
Jane Scamehorn, 10
John Maclane Schirard, 8
Edward Searl, 2
Daniel Sharp, 5
Karyll Shaw, 10
Amanda Shoopman, 5
Taylor Sinclair, 10
Michael T. Sinelli*
Diana Sisley, 18
Beverly Slaughter, 50
Andrew Smith,* 1
Vanessa Spallone
Yvette Stohler
Rebecca Stracener
Justin Stratton
Herbert Suarez, 1
Alona Svydenko, 10
Nataliia Svydenko, 1
Jodi Tassos, 50
Maja Lucic Tepper, 3
Jennifer Thibodeau, 3
Kristofer Thornton
Alex Tiedtke, 5
Virginia Ubels, 12
Luke van Reijendam
Jeanine Viau, 6
Cezarina Vintilla, 20
Matt Walker, 6
Christian Wangsgard,* 1
Joseph Warmus
Diana Webb, 9
Benjamin Webster*
Sarah Webster*
Jane White, 43
Patty White, 7
Susan Whritenour, 15
Wave Wildman,* 2
Gwendolyn Williams, 19
Richard Wilson, 1
Rowan Wilson,* 1
Enrique Ynaty*
Emma Youngblood*
Mary Lou Zobel, 8
YOUTH CHOIR
Rebecca Hammac, Director
Sofia Cardi, accompanist
Isabella Andriolo
Isla Blevins
Erivyn Campbell
Jingyi Cao
Maven Cardenas
Grace Colon
Madelyn Colon
Caleb Cribbs
Juniper Czarnik
Coral Davis-Koelble
Jayden Dunn
Rowan Fowler
Sequoia Fowler
Lydia Gibson
Hudson Hamilton
Ava Kurzon
Grace Muldoon
Kennedy Page
Alexandra Peet
Romy Perez
Lauren Pichardo
Eliana Ramirez
Mauricio Ribeiro
Camila Riera
Alison Sheha
Lucy Vassalli
VIOLIN I
Routa Gomez
Alvaro Gomez
Shelley Mathews
Mary Bos
Olga Ferroni
Julia Gessinger
Kathleen Beard
Olivia Skaja
Aysima Anik
VIOLIN II
Joni Roos
Rhonda Burnham
Victor Ferroni
Dina Fedosenko
Christina Gant
Jennie Rudberg
Thomas Todia
Max Griffen
VIOLA
Susan Gray
Dan Flick
Jesus Alfonzo
Marla Morgan
Linda Kessler
CELLO
David Bjella
Shona Mcfadyen
Brenda Higgins
Maureen May
Amie Tishkoff
BACH FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA ROSTER
STRING BASS
Rob Kennon
Lee Eubank
Tye Van Buren
Michael Hill
FLUTE
Nora Lee Garcia
Kate Nichols
OBOE
Sherwood Hawkins
Lora Macpherson
CLARINET
Jessica Speak
Erik Cole HORN
Kathy Thomas
Ben Lieser
Pam Titus
Nicole Clark
TRUMPET
Teresa Linn
John Copella
Fred Green
TROMBONE
Jeff Thomas
Aaron Lefkowitz
Alex Regazzi
PERCUSSION
Thad Anderson
Jeffrey Moore BASSOON
Ashley Heintzen
Sasha Enegren
TUBA
Robin Sisk
TIMPANI
Kirk Gay
HARP
Dawn Edwards
ORGAN
André Lash
CELEBRATE 90 YEARS OF MUSICAL EXCELLENCE:
SUPPORT OUR LEGACY, INSPIRE THE FUTURE
The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park has proudly shared the gift of world-class choral, chamber, and orchestral music for nearly a century. As an independent nonprofit organization, we strive to enrich our community through exceptional performances, educational programs, and outreach efforts.
Join us in honoring our legacy and inspiring future generations by making a tax-deductible contribution. Your support ensures that the heritage of classical music continues to thrive, both on stage and in our community. Learn more and make your gift at BachFestivalFlorida.org/giving.
STOCK GIFTS
The Bach Festival Society gratefully accepts gifts of stock and distributions from retirement plans, subject to IRS guidelines. To ensure that the gift is received and acknowledged properly, please notify the Society of the pending transfer. For more information, please contact Kathy Berlinsky at KBerlinsky@BachFestivalFlorida.org or call 407.691.1056.
SPONSORSHIPS
Learn more about program and featured artist sponsorships by contacting Kathy Berlinsky at KBerlinsky@BachFestivalFlorida.org or call 407.691.1056.
The EIN for the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park is 59-6015959. The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park’s State of Florida Solicitation of Contributions Act Registration Number is CH1655. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
CONTINUO SOCIETY
The Continuo Society recognizes patrons who have chosen to provide for the Bach Festival Society through their estate plans. These thoughtful legacy gifts will help sustain the Society's mission for many years to come. For more information about major and planned gift opportunities, please contact Executive Director Kathy Belinsky at 407.691.1056 or KBerlinsky@BachFestivalFlorida.org.
CONTINUO SOCIETY MEMBERS
Anonymous (2)
John W. and Linda Cone
Allen
P. Andrew and Autumn Ames in honor of John M. Tiedtke
M. Elizabeth Brothers*
Dana and Diana Eagles
Paul M. Harmon
Karen and Mickey Lane in memory of Bernice and Stanley Levy
Rob and Wendy Landry
Bonnie B. and Robert M. Larsen
Leyse Lowry in honor of John V. Sinclair
Pat McKechnie
Dr. Blair and Diane Murphy
Kenneth* and Ann Hicks
Murrah
James F. Niss and Judith H. Niss
The Rev.* and Mrs. Eric Ravndal, III
Drs. John and Gail Sinclair
Bosco R. and Beverly J. Slaughter
Dr. Walter Stamm*
Heather and David Torre
IN HONOR OF JOHN V. SINCLAIR ON HIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY
Anonymous (4)
Athalia and Robert Cope
Tim Delcavo
Michael and Aimee Rusinko Kakos
Susan D. Tucker
*deceased
THE JOHN V. SINCLAIR ENDOWED FUND FOR ARTISTIC DIRECTION
Established in 2020 in honor of Dr. John V. Sinclair's 30th anniversary as Artistic Director, this fund will help ensure that future Artistic Directors will have sufficient resources to maintain a level of artistic excellence. We invite all Bach Festival patrons to join the generous donors listed below to build this important resource. Contact Executive Director Kathy Berlinsky at 407.691.1056 or KBerlinsky@BachFestivalFlorida.org for details.
GIFTS AND PLEDGES OF $20,000 AND ABOVE
Cynthia and Alex Mackinnon
The Rev.* and Mrs. Eric Ravndal, III
Sally and Jack Schott
The Tiedtke Family
GIFTS AND PLEDGES OF $10,000-$19,999
S. Blair and Diane Murphy
Bill and Sheila Oelfke
Leila Edgerton Trismen
GIFTS AND PLEDGES OF $5,000-$9,999
Kathy Johnson Berlinsky
Brock and Sarah McClane
Bosco R. and Beverly J. Slaughter
GIFTS AND PLEDGES OF $1,000-$4,999
Anonymous (2)
Brian Ainsley and Candice
Crawford
P. Andy and Autumn Ames
Stewart Anderson
Michael and Mabel Burridge
Susan and Robert Christian
Dana and Diana Eagles
Alvaro and Routa Gomez
Leyse Lowry
Katie Mess
Janice and George Meyer
Gerard and Nichola Mitchell
Beth and Jack Nagle
Donald A. Nash
Liana and Fred Pacilli
Dan and Barbara Preslar
BJ Price
Ann Morgan Saurman
Vivian Southwell
Edward and Virginia Ubels
BettyJane and Cecil Wilson, M.D.
GIFTS AND PLEDGES OF UNDER $1,000
John Adams
Stewart Anderson
Meg Baldwin
Will and Barby Barbara
Jim Beck
Marianne Franus Beck
Mary Berglund-Bos
Bill and Becky Brown
Marcia and Michael Brown
Tim and Rhonda Burnham
Laurie Calhoun
Paul and Janet Chilcote
Tom Cook and Patricia
Simmons
Grant and Peg Cornwell
Alan and Susan Davis
Daniel Flick
Alice and Larry Fortunato
Bill and Joanne Frederick
Elizabeth Gwinn and Michael Galletta
Lee and Diane Hansen
Kathleen Hartung
Sherwood Hawkins and Brenda Higgins
Amanda Kinder
Wendy and Rob Landry
Karen and Mickey Lane
Aaron Lefkowitz
Kay and Gerald Marin
Lora MacPherson
Elizabeth Maupin and Jay Yellen
David Odahowski
Bill and Sherry Orr
Maurice O’Sullivan
Liana and Fred Pacilli
Martin Phillips
Dan and Barbara Preslar
Dr. Mark and Beverly Rich in honor of our favorite conductor
Lisa and David Rosen
Joe Sapora and Carol Ducas
Dr. Daniel and Nancy Sharp
Karyll Shaw
Amanda Shoopman
Diana and Tim Sisley
Brian Solomon
Jessica Hall Speak
Matthew Swope
Jodi Tassos
Charles Thatcher
Jeff and Kathy Thomas
Susan and Michael Tucker
Jeanine Viau
Cezarina and Ray Vintilla
Kathleen Wassum-Hame
Diana Webb and T.J. Trapp
Jane R. White
Patty White
Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Whritenour
Gwendolyn and Wilford
Williams
*deceased
OUR 2024-2025 SEASON DONORS
The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park would like to thank the individuals and community partners below who have generously made a pledge or contribution in support of the dynamic artistic and educational programming and community engagement for the 90th Season.
BACH FESTIVAL SOCIETY VISIONARIES
$100,000 AND ABOVE
Bach Festival Choir
Orange County Government through the Arts and Cultural Affairs Program
Beth and Jack Nagle
Rollins College
United Arts of Central Florida
J. S. BACH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
$50,000 - $99,999
Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation
The Jessie Ball duPont Fund
CONDUCTOR'S CIRCLE
$25,000 - $49,999
Mr. Alex and The Hon. Cynthia Mackinnon
The Pabst Steinmetz Foundation
Sally and Jack Schott
The Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation
COMPOSERS CIRCLE
$10,000 - $24,999
Anonymous
David and Judy Albertson
Richard O. Baldwin, Jr.
Chelsey G. Magruder Foundation
Teresa Doggett
Dr. Phillips Charities
John V. Frank
Ginsburg Family Foundation
Kathryn and (the late) Bud Grammer
Michael and Aimee Kakos
Bonnie B. & Robert M. Larsen
Massey Services Inc
Mrs. Sarah Ravndal
Wayne and Robin Roberts
Bosco R. and Beverly J. Slaughter
The Joe and Sarah Galloway Foundation
Florida Charities Foundation
Leila E. Trismen
Richard Foundation in care of Marchetta Wood
CHORAL CIRCLE
$7,500-$9,999
Anonymous
Jeff and Nichole Bromme
The Charles Hosmer Morse Foundation
Festival of Orchestras Endowment Fund
The Thomas P. and Patricia A. O'Donnell Foundation
Borron and Beppy Owen
PATRON'S CIRCLE
$5,000 - $7,499
Anonymous
Kathy Johnson Berlinsky
The Welsh Charitable Trust
Sheryl Kerr
Kelly Price
Dr. MK Reischmann
Dr. John V. Sinclair and Dr. Gail D. Sinclair
Dr. Joe and Sue Warren
ARTISTIC CIRCLE
$2,500 - $4,999
Patsy L. Duphorne
Dana and Diana Eagles
Jeff and June Flowers Giving Fund
Dr. Grant Hayes
Jeannette Leinbach
GladdeningLight
David Reynolds Mattson
BJ Price
John and Beatriz Struck
Hardy Vaughn and Betty Brady
Dr. Tracy Truchelut and Mr. Robert A. White
The Mayflower Retirement Center, Inc.
BENEFACTORS
$1,000 - $2,499
Anonymous (4)
Keith and Eleanor Ackermann
Linda and Jack Allen
Tim and Sue Antonition
Ellen Arnold
2024-2025 SEASON DONORS
Donna Borko
Mr. and Mrs. James Burrell
Michael and Mabel Burridge
Tom and Kathy Cardwell
Pilar Carvajal
O'Ann and Pat Christiansen
Tim and Vivian Cook
Robert and Athalia Cope
Linda T. Dalton
Alan and Susan Davis
Lee Eubank
Susan and Randolph Fields
Robert and Ann Flick
Barbara and Richard Fulton
G. Randall and Nancy Gibbs in honor of John Sinclair
Alvaro and Routa Gomez
Freddi and Jim Goodrich
Susan Gray
Mrs. Janice Granier Gruber
Wallace H. Hall
Anonymous in memory of Clifford and Marilyn Lee
Paul M. Harmon
Allison and Peter Hosbein
Dr. Mimi Hull
Dr. Susan Cohn Lackman and Dr. Richard
David Knapp
Rob and Wendy Landry
The Lee Foundation
Leyse Lowry
Edward Manning
Mr. and Mrs. Rafael Martinez
Jody and Craig Maughan
Elizabeth Maupin and Jay Yellen
Jay and Alison McClelland
Dr. Margaret McMillen
Jeff and Mindy Moore
D'Arcy Murphy
Donald A. Nash in memory of Marie D. Nash
John Niss and Lisa Mouton
Dr. William C. Oelfke
Jason Parker
Dan and Barbara Preslar
Dr. F. Robert and Norene Rolle
Diane L. Sandquist
Ann Saurman
Sara and Bill Segal
Winifred J. Sharp
Karyll Shaw
The Sidhu Family Foundation
McIntyre and Skaggs Charitable Trust
Jodi Tassos in memory of John Tassos
George R. and Eleanor C. Taylor in memory of The Rev. Eric Ravndal, III
The Benevolent Charitable Fund
Kathryn C. Ustler
Donna and Keith Van Allen
Mike and Kim Weathers
Gwendolyn B. and Wilford J. Williams
Betty Jane and Cecil B. Wilson, MD
Alice Williams and Debby Zutter
FRIENDS
$100 - $999
Anonymous (9)
Sandra Albert
Judy Alper
Mr. and Mrs. Ames, In Memory of John M. Tiedtke
George and Leslie Andreae
Shan Atkins and Jim Erbs
Liz Ausburn
David B. Baer
Mary D. Balk
Mr. and Mrs. Will and Barby Barbara
Barbara Beaudry
Jim D. Beck
Patricia Guerrero and Jack Berger
Anne Elizabeth Berlinsky
Donne Bitner in memory of Michael Ensign
Bitner
Bill and Becky Brown
Lawrence D. Brown, M.D.
Dale and Patricia Burket
Tim and Rhonda Burnham
Chance and Christina Carter
Sterling and Ellen Cassel
David Caudle and Gil Villalobos
Central Florida Spokes
Richard and Terri Cerritto
Leslie Ann Chiarello
Mr. and Mrs. Don Clark
Maya Clausen
Guy and Donna Colado
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Conway
2024-2025 SEASON DONORS
Thomas Cook and Patricia Simmons
Paul and Terry Creighton
Margaret Cruickshank
Diane Culler
Enoch Dangerfield, M.D.
G. Dappert and J. Wixted
Edward and Janet Davenport
Carl Davis and Carrie Duval
Beth Desimone
Thomas DiPiazza
Dante Duphorne
Hoyt and Charlene Edge
Mary Anne Elwood
Marjorie and Harold Emmert
Nancy Engle
Candice T. Erick
Elizabeth and Philip Eschbach
Lisa Everett
Carolyn M. Fennell
Raphael Fernandez and family
Daniel Flick
Mimi Ford
Ms. Susan Fornear
The Honorable and Mrs. William Frederick
Brad and Christina Gant
Linda Gibson
Penny S. Gilman
Gail Graham
David and Cheri Grayson
Dr. Scott Greenwood and Dr. Pamela
Freeman
Stan and Regunia Griggs
Gregg Gronlund Family
Barbara Grossman
David W. Gurney, Ph.D.
Marty and Mike Haddad
Lawrie Platt Hall
Lillian Hall
John and Jennifer Hallenbeck
Debbie and Larry Halye
Diane and Lee Hansen
Kathryn Harbaugh
Karen Harris
Hilary Davis
Barbara Hillerman Lieske
Lynda Hinckley
Dr. and Mrs. G. Wyckliffe Hoffler
Lars and Julie Houmann
Bonnie C. Hubbard
Rebecca Hull and Jeremy Udell
Silvia S. Ibanez
Beth and Jack Isler
J. McLaughlin
Richard and Jeanne Jaffe
Toni Jennings
Sondra Jones
William and Sue Jordan
Frank and Etta Jean Juge
Henrietta Katzen
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Kawainui
Kenneth and Ann Hicks Murrah Endowment
Richard and Martha Kessler
Bob and Betty Kimbrel
Carol Klim
Paul and Nola Knouse
Andrea and Philip Kobrin
George Kountanis
Dr. Yen-Yen Kressel
Orlando Garden Club
Dr. Mubarak Shah and Ms. Becky Lee
Aaron Lefkowitz
Dr. Mitch and Swantje Levin
Dr. Michael and Diane Levine
Nancy P. Lewis
Gary Li
Mr. and Mrs. David Linder
Dee Lore
Dr. Jim Madison
Glen Martin
Shelley and Doug Mathews
Carolyn Maue and Bryan Hunt
Justin McGill in memory of Joy Groves McGill
David and Suzi McGuffin
Walter and Carol McKelvey
Robert Meek
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Metzger
Janice Meyer
Congressman John L. Mica
Lois H. Mills
Barbara and Peter Minderman
Carolyn Minear
Aleitha Morgan
Dan and Nancy Sharp
Allison Morris
2024-2025 SEASON DONORS
Eva Burbank Murphy
Ann Hicks Murrah
Mr. Thomas Nealssohn
Jane Secrist Newnum
Roxanne Niles
Randy Noles and Sarah McArthur
David and Amy Noznesky
Leslie King ONeal
Paul and Betsy Owens
Liana and Fred Pacilli
Bradley Page
The Mary Palmer Family Foundation
Nancy Fansher Peed
Lynn Peghiny-Mells
Mr. and Mrs. John Pfost
Martin Phillips
Dr. Daniel and Lesley Podberesky
Rosalind Ray
Robert Reedy and Corrine Wightman
Tom and Cathy Regan
Dr. and Mrs. Mark and Beverly Rich in loving memory of Dr. Seymour Cohen
Bradley Roberts
Holly Rogers
Joy Roney
Elizabeth Rothard
Dr. Richard Sandler
Jane and Bruce Scamehorn
Paul Schmalzer
Jim and Pat Schroeder
David Schwind
Sara and Bill Segal
Tyler Simonton, in memory of Susie Stone
Diana Sisley
Celnah Smith in memory of my husband Leon
Smith
Vivian Southwell in memory of Dana Irwin
Jeffrey T. Spoeri
Charlie Stevens
Elizabeth Stewart
Fred Lyndon Stone
Rene Stutzman
Herbert Suarez
Dawn and George Sumrall
Jackie and Rod Sward
Vernon Swartsel
E. Donald Thomas, DMD
Amie H. Tishkoff and Robert Kennon
Stephen Toth
Tim and Barbara Trombitas
Beatriz Truax
Barbara L. Turner
Anne Van den Berg
Dr. Nancy van den Berg
Lee and Judy Van Valkenburgh
Laura Vennard
Drs. Jeanine Viau and Ann Gleig
Dr. and Mrs. Paul and Madeleine Vilmos
Cezarina and Ray Vintilla in honor of Stela and Dumitru Toaxen
Nancy R. Wagers
In honor of Peter Schreyer, Crealde's Executive Director
Harold and Libby Ward
Katy Moss Warner
Diana Webb and Dr. T.J. Trapp
Craig and Jeanne Weeks
Dr. Bruce Whisler
Jane R. White
Susan Whritenour
Madeline Wiley
William C. Schwartz Fund
Stuart Wills and Sandra Piepho
Joyce and Richard Wilson
Nicholas Yarnold
Dr. and Mrs. Lee Zehngebot
Armand and Alison Zilioli
Mary Lou Zobel
* Donors in the above list are recognized for their gifts and pledges received in support of the 2024-2025 Season prior to publication. Please advise us of any errors or omissions.
We are grateful for the generous support of donors like you. View the full donor report including the most recent gifts since publication of this program at BachFestivalFlorida.org/donor-list
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 90th Season will showcase a dynamic array of world-class instrumentalists 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 young musicians of the Bach Festival Youth Choirs will continue to refine their musicianship skills through weekly rehearsals and will be featured in performances with the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra throughout the season, along with outreach concerts in the community.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Bach Festival Society is committed to making its programs accessible to all audiences. Tiedtke Concert Hall and Knowles Memorial Chapel on the Rollins College campus in Winter Park have accessible entrances and parking options available, as does Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in downtown Orlando. Please call 407.646.2182 for assistance with questions or concerns.
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 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. Edgewater High School’s Eagle Chorus, directed by Alex Glover, and Winter Springs High School’s Bear Voices, directed by Kara Ferland, have been named the 2024-2025 “Choirs of Distinction” by the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park. 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: Sondra Jones
TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES
Subscribe to enhance your experience with exclusive benefits and get the best value.
Build-Your-Own Subscriptions
Select 3-8 unique performances and enjoy a 10% discount off individual ticket prices or 9-15 unique performances and receive a 15% discount off individual ticket prices.
Annual Bach Festival Subscription
Enjoy three weekends of world-class performances plus special events with a 15% discount off individual ticket prices. This package includes all 90th Season Annual Bach Festival performances from February 15 – March 2.
Annual Bach Festival Plus Subscription
Savor four weekends of world-class performances plus special events with a 15% discount off individual ticket prices. This package includes all 90th Season Annual Bach Festival performances AND Pre-Festival performances from February 8 - March 2.
Individual Tickets
Reserved seating and limited General Admission tickets are on sale now. Discounted student and educator rush tickets are available “at the door” with school ID pending availability. Group discounts are also available. For more information, including subscription pricing and seating charts for all venues, please visit bachfestivalflorida.org/subscriptions.
PURCHASE NOW!
ONLINE: BachFestivalFlorida.org/ tickets BY PHONE: 407.646.2182 IN PERSON: 203 E. Lyman Ave. Winter Park, FL 32789, 2nd Floor
Performance details are subject to change. To learn more, please visit BachFestivalFlorida.org/ticket-policy.
MAILING ADDRESS:
Bach Festival Society of Winter Park 1000 Holt Ave. Box #2763, Winter Park, FL 32789
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.
Photo credit: Scott Cook
2024-2025
Voctave: The Corner of Broadway and Main Street
The Greatest Composers You’ve Never Heard Of: Volume 2
JIJI Guitar - Chamber Concertos
JIJI Guitar - Recital
Rossini - Petite messe solennelle with Bach Vocal Artists
Mozart - Requiem | Sibelius - Finlandia | Ricketts - Songs of War and Peace
Edgar Meyer Trio with Tessa Lark and Joshua Roman
A Classic Christmas
Takács Quartet with David Requiro, cellist
Paul Jacobs, organ (FREE)
Spiritual Spaces
Big Band Spirituals
Friday, September 13, 2024 • 7:30pm
Thursday, October 3, 2024 • 7:30pm
Thursday, October 17, 2024 • 7:30pm
Sunday, October 20, 2024 • 3:00pm
Thursday, October 24, 2024 • 7:30pm
Sunday, November 3, 2024 • 3:00pm
Sunday, November 10, 2024 •3:00pm
Saturday December 14, 2024 • 2pm & 5pm
Sunday, December 15, 2024• 2pm & 5pm
Sunday, January 19, 2025• 3:00pm
Friday, February 7, 2025• 7:30pm
Saturday, February 8, 2025• 5:00pm
Thursday, February 13, 2025• 7:30pm
90th Annual Bach Festival
Handel - La resurrezione, HWV 47
The King’s Singers
Dashon Burton - Brick by Brick: Changing America by Song
J.S. Bach - Mass in B minor, BWV 232
Beethoven - Mass in C, Opus 86 | Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3 (“Scottish”)
A Musical Travelogue (Works by Gershwin, Brahms, von Suppé, Strauss, and more)
Brahms - German Requiem, Opus 45 | Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1, Opus 23
Bach to the Future (FREE)
Bach Festival Choir Alumni Recital Bach Chamber Singers Concert Modern Masterworks
Vivaldi Choral Works with Bach Vocal Artists
Saturday, February 15, 2025• 7:30pm
Sunday, February 16, 2025•3:00pm
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 • 7:30pm
Friday, February 21, 2025• 7:30pm
Saturday, February 22, 2025• 7:30pm
Sunday, February 23, 2025• 3:00pm Friday, February 28, 2025• 7:30pm
Saturday, March 1, 2025• 7:30 pm Sunday, March 2, 2025• 3:00 pm
