It’s true that most of the energy of the Society and our staff is going into preparing for our 75th Anniversary celebration next month. However, the world has kept turning, and other exciting things have taken place that we want to share with you.

At the beginning of the month our Artistic Director and Conductor John Sinclair traveled across I-4 to Tampa to conduct the Men’s Choir at the Florida Music Educator’s Association All-State Conference. In addition to performing a piece by choir alum Jamey Ray, Dr. Sinclair took Bach Festival Orchestra members with him to accompany the singers in their performance.

Pride swelled in the Bach Festival office last week when we received the news that Curtis Rayam was recognized by the National Opera Association as the winner of the “Lift Every Voice” Legacy Award. Bach Festival President Eric Ravndal III commented, “How delightful that one of our own has been recognized with this high honor from such a well-respected national organization. His distinguished career has enriched the lives of music lovers throughout the world. We are most proud of his receiving this honor.”

Curtis began his long association with the Bach Festival Society as a student at Jones High School in Orlando, has performed as soloist with the choir and orchestra, and more recently serves as a member of our Board of Trustees. He travelled to Atlanta to accept his award. Congratulations, Curtis!

As we move into February, the calendar is full of exciting events we are working hard to make memorable.  We hope a few of these programs make it onto your calendar, and we look forward to seeing you at the historic 75th Annual Bach Festival.