FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 8, 2007

Contact: Colin Byrne
Sales and Communications Manager
Phone: (407) 646-1561
Fax: (407) 646-2692
E-mail: cbyrne@bachfestivalflorida.org

WINTER PARK, FL — The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park is pleased to announce its schedule for the 72nd Annual Bach Festival February 17 through March 3, 2007. Marking 72 years of quality musical entertainment in Central Florida, this season features the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra in three artistically varied programs: Handel’s Heroes and Heraldry, Music of the Moravians, and J. S. Bach’s The Passion According to St. John. In addition, the Bach Festival Chamber Singers and Orchestra join P.D.Q. Bach—Professor Peter Schickele, intellectual guide and Johann of all trades—for a program of whimsical “tongue in cheek” classical music.

The New York Times recognizes the Winter Park Bach Festival as one of the premier Bach Festivals in the country. This two-week annual tradition brings live performances of great vocal and instrumental music to the dramatic setting of Knowles Memorial Chapel. See individual performance listings for ticket prices.

P.D.Q. Bach: The Vegas Years
Saturday, February 17 at 3 PM and 8 PM
Knowles Memorial Chapel

These hilarious performances of the fictitious 18th-century composer whose time never came—or should never have come—must not be missed! Composer, musician, author, satirist—Peter Schickele is internationally recognized as one of the most versatile artists—and respected musicologists—in the field of music. His works, now well in excess of 100 for symphony orchestras, choral groups, chamber ensembles, voice, film, and television, have given him “a leading role in the ever-more-prominent school of American composers who unselfconsciously blend all levels of American music” (John Rockwell, The New York Times).

To illustrate P.D.Q. Bach’s brand of humor, the following is an excerpt from his “official biography”: “P.D.Q. Bach is known world-over for his musical accomplishments divided into three creative periods: the Initial Plunge, the Soused Period, and Contrition. The middle period was by far the longest of the three, and was characterized by a multiplicity of contrapuntal lines and a greater richness of harmony due to almost constant double vision. It was during this period that he emulated (i.e., stole from) the music of Haydn and Mozart, but his pathetic attempts to be au courant were no more successful than his pathetic attempts to be passé had been during the Initial Plunge; having to cope with the problems that accompany immense popularity was something that P.D.Q. Bach managed to avoid. It has been said that the only original places in his music are those places where he forgot what he was stealing. And, since his memory was even shorter than his sightedness, he was in point of fact one of the most original composers ever to stumble along the musical pike.”

The Vegas Years combines P.D.Q. Bach’s Cantata No. 11,532.9 “Thank God It’s Friday” and “Oedipus Tex,” along with selected Vocal Dealies and more. This program is sure to captivate young and old alike with hilarious lyrics and wonderful music. Tickets are $55/$45/$20.

Handel’s Heroes and Heraldry
Sunday, February 18 at 3 PM
Knowles Memorial Chapel

No composer in history has been more successful than Handel in writing music that dramatizes historic heroic and legendary figures in music. Handel combined dramatic and religious elements in his music with unrivaled skill and set the standard for choral writing. Handel’s work reflects his German musical education and his time spent in Italy mastering the style and techniques of the Italian Baroque. His most regal work was written in London while he was Kapellmeister, or “master of the chapel,” to the future King George I of England. Handel became the consummate master of ceremonial music. He penned four Coronation Anthems for the coronation of King George II and Queen Caroline in 1727 and composed the Music for the Royal Fireworks to mark the signing of the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749, enhancing his renown for creating musical pageantry.

This program combines selections from various forms of Handel’s compositions, including Music for the Royal Fireworks, Coronation Anthems, and some of the most famous choruses and arias from his celebrated oratorios.

Scheduled soloists include soprano Kimberly Saunders Randall, mezzo-soprano Janet Rabe-Meyer, tenor Keith Bolves, and bass David Terry. Tickets are $45/$35/$20.

Miles Hoffman—Guest Lecture
What Was He Thinking? The Question of Meaning in the Music of J.S. Bach
Saturday, February 24 at 10 AM
Tiedtke Concert Hall

Wynton Marsalis has said of NPR commentator Miles Hoffman, “Whether you know a lot about music or nothing at all, Miles Hoffman will help you think about what you listen to and how you listen.” This lecture will give you an insight into J.S. Bach’s music that only our guest speaker can deliver. Hoffman’s quick wit and easy conversational style offer important information with helpful background material and interesting perspectives to impress both new audiences and traditional Bach Festival attendees. This lecture is FREE.

Music of the Moravians
Saturday, February 24 at 8 PM
Knowles Memorial Chapel

This program features the beautiful sacred music of the Moravians, introducing our audience to one of the loveliest, yet least known, of the musical riches of early America. The Bach Festival Society is partnering with the Moravian Music Foundation to perform and record over 20 of these historic works. The performance will feature the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra along with 25 Moravian singers selected from congregations throughout the United States.

To date, several million copies of Moravian anthems are in circulation worldwide; even so, less than ten percent of the works in American Moravian collections have been prepared in modern scholarly and performing editions. Many of the works on this program have long been favorites of Moravians and other lovers of this music, and most of these are presented here in new editions that reflect the best in contemporary scholarship and editorial practice.

This performance features an array of important soloists who perform throughout the country, including soprano Sharla Nafziger and mezzo-soprano Mary Ann Hart. Tickets are $45/$35/$20.

J.S. Bach’s The Passion According to St. John
Sunday, February 25 at 3 PM
Knowles Memorial Chapel

The Bach Festival Society features a major concert of one of Bach’s greatest choral masterpieces—The Passion According to St. John, The Passion According to St. Matthew, Mass in b minor, or a selection of Bach’s concertos, cantatas, and other works annually during its Festival. This year the Bach Festival Society presents The Passion According to St. John. Completed in about ten weeks during the winter of 1722–23, this work had its first performance at the Good Friday services on April 7, 1724, in St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig, Germany.

The Passion According to St. John opens with a magnificent chorus that combines despair at the death of Jesus with faith in His triumph over death. The story of the Passion then begins dramatically with the betrayal and capture of Jesus, featuring the Evangelist as narrator, Jesus, and the choir in a variety of roles as participants and witnesses. Interspersed are chorales with their comments on the unfolding events. Performances of Bach’s major works such as The Passion According to St. John require significant solo, choral, and orchestral resources, and we are proud to present this remarkable work in our Festival. Tickets are $45/$35/$20.

Paul Jacobs Organ Recital
Saturday, March 3 at 3 PM
Knowles Memorial Chapel

The Winter Park Bach Festival closes with Paul Jacobs, Chairman of the Organ Department of New York’s Juilliard School, performing the annual organ recital on the chapel’s famed Aeolian-Skinner/Randall Dyer organ. Jacobs was appointed to the Juilliard faculty in 2003 at the age of 26, making him one of the youngest faculty appointments in the school's history.

Jacobs came to national attention as a concert organist in 2000, when he twice performed the complete organ works of J.S. Bach in 14 consecutive evenings in New York City and Philadelphia. Later in the year he trumped that achievement by performing the complete works again in an 18-hour nonstop marathon in Pittsburgh. In 2000 he was a featured performer for the national convention of the American Guild of Organists in Seattle and in 2004 was a featured artist at the organization's national convention in Los Angeles. The Washington Post has lauded Jacobs’ “fluency and creative energy that deserve a standing-room audience.” Tickets are $20.

Educational Series
The Bach Festival Society has increased its educational programming to engage and enlighten audience members, regardless of their level of music knowledge. Through these programs, audiences learn about composers, musical terms, and the conductor’s art of combining master soloists, a professional orchestra, and a volunteer choir. These programs are free and opened to the public.

Dr. John V. Sinclair
Pre-concert talk: Handel’s Heroes and Heraldry
Sunday February 18 at 2 pm
Bush Auditorium

The Bach Festival’s own Conductor and Artistic Director gives his insight into the life and music of George Frideric Handel. Come and meet Handel through interesting and humorous anecdotes presented in John Sinclair’s matchless style.

Dr. Nola Knouse, Director, Moravian Music Foundation
Pre-concert talk: Music of the Moravians
Saturday February 24 at 7 pm
Bush Auditorium

The sacred vocal music of the Moravians is one of the loveliest, yet least known, of the musical riches of early America. Join Dr. Knouse and learn more about this beautiful and historically important music.

Ann Dubsky
Pre-concert talk: The Passion According to St. John
Sunday February 25 at 2 pm
Bush Auditorium

Ann Dubsky looks back to the medieval roots of passion music and traces the development that led to the very special features found in Bach's The Passion According to St. John.

Open Rehearsals
The Bach Festival is opening select rehearsals to the public for an interesting and informative look “behind the scenes” at what it takes to bring together this extraordinary group of musicians led by John V. Sinclair. Please note these are not concerts. They are working rehearsals designed to prepare the Choir and Orchestra for their performance. Only the rehearsals listed below are open to the public.

Open Rehearsal for Handel’s Heroes and Heraldry
Thursday, February 15 at 7 pm
Knowles Memorial Chapel

Open Rehearsal for Music of the Moravians
Saturday, February 24 at 2 pm
Knowles Memorial Chapel

Tickets can be purchased by phone at 407-646-2182 or online at www.bachfestivalflorida.org.

About the Bach Festival Society
The Bach Festival Society, located in Winter Park, Florida, is the premier classical music organization in the state of Florida and one of the longest continuously operating Bach Festivals in the country. The Bach Festival Society brings the highest caliber of classical music to Central Florida. Performances are held in the intimate setting of the Tiedtke Concert Hall and the Knowles Memorial Chapel on the beautiful campus of Rollins College.

For more information regarding the upcoming season or to order tickets, please call the Bach Festival Society at 407-646-2182 or visit us online at www.bachfestivalflorida.org.