Bach Festival Society finds faith, hope in America | review

By MATTHEW J. PALM

ORLANDO SENTINEL ARTS WRITER

“We’ll rejoice!” the choir sang. “We’ll rejoice!”

And it felt like a night for rejoicing Saturday as members of the Bach Festival Society choir and the society’s orchestra performed “American Folksongs & Spirituals” on the outdoor stage at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, as part of its Frontyard Festival.

The concert was also the final program of the unusual 2020-21 season for the Winter Park-based organization. Saturday night’s concert marked the first time the choir members had publicly sung together in person in more than a year.

“It’s been a long year,” deadpanned artistic director John Sinclair, saying the ability to finally perform together lifted the spirits of the singers.

The concert lifted my spirits, too. How could it not, with a celebration of such very American attributes as faith and hope for better days.

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