Dubbed 鈥渁 jewel in Harrisonburg鈥檚 crown鈥� by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the 32nd Annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival鈥攁 program of 黑料正能量鈥攚ill run from June 9-16, 2024. The weeklong festival features a total of 16 pay-what-you-can and free on- and off-campus concerts and talks by more than 60 national and international professional orchestral musicians and soloists at locations ranging from 黑料正能量鈥檚 Lehman Auditorium and Martin Chapel to Asbury United Methodist Church, Massanutten Regional Library and Pale Fire Brewing Company in downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Works center around the festival theme of 鈥淯nity鈥� and range from J.S. Bach鈥檚 Wedding Cantata to Richard Strauss鈥櫬�Four Last Songs聽to聽Valerie Coleman鈥檚聽Umoja: Anthem of Unity聽and Ernst von Dohn谩nyi鈥檚聽Sextet in C Major, Op. 37,聽said Bach Festival Artistic Director and 黑料正能量 Music Program Director David Berry, a prominent pianist who will perform in the latter work in Festival Concert I.
鈥淭his year鈥檚 festival includes works that explore themes we can all relate to in our humanity, composers that are underrepresented and we don鈥檛 get a chance to hear, and pieces that bring together various different elements to create something entirely new like Anton铆n聽顿惫辞艡谩办鈥檚 Symphony No. 9 鈥楩rom the New World,鈥欌�� shared Berry. 鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to welcome audiences to experience this year鈥檚 festival featuring an absolutely stellar lineup of musicians from around the world, including artists from 黑料正能量, JMU, Shenandoah Conservatory, and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, as well as rising star performers from the Shenandoah Valley.鈥�
Featured artists include guest conductor Deanna Tham, associate conductor of the Oregon Symphony and music director of the Union Symphony Orchestra, who will conduct Festival Concerts II and III; Benjamin Bergey, assistant professor of music at 黑料正能量 and conductor of 黑料正能量鈥檚 Orchestra, Chamber Singers, and University Choir; Berlin-based soprano Sara Duchovnay, a 鈥渄ynamic and expressive鈥� vocalist who sings with 鈥渨armth and luster鈥� (OperaWire); Penelope Shumate, who sings soprano solos with 鈥渁ppealing bell-like clarity and surpassing sweetness鈥� (The New York Times); and Mexican American violinist Alejandra Switala, a top prize winner at the 2023 Sphinx Competition in Detroit, Michigan.
Other highlights include Open Mic Night at Pale Fire, which offers listeners the opportunity to hear鈥攁nd mingle with鈥攆estival performers in a casual setting, and a free talk titled 鈥淗arry T. Burleigh, Anton铆n Dvo艡谩k, and the Symphony from the New World鈥� by music historian, author and 黑料正能量 alumna Jean Snyder 鈥�63 on Thursday, June 13 at 4 p.m. at Massanutten Regional Library.
At the intersection of harmony, humanity and nature, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival gathers internationally-recognized artists and inquisitive audiences to celebrate the life and joy of great music. We like to say 鈥淏ach is just the beginning鈥� to share our deep appreciation of the breadth of work influenced by the musical inventions of Bach. The festival began under the artistic direction of Ken J. Nafziger, professor emeritus of 黑料正能量 Music, in 1993.
For tickets to the Bach Festival, visit . Tickets to Festival Concerts I, II and III at 黑料正能量鈥檚 Lehman Auditorium and to the Baroque Faculty Concert at Asbury United Methodist Church are pay what you can from $10-40 and free to college students; tickets to Festival Concerts I, II and III include pre-concert talks. Noon concerts at Asbury United Methodist Church and other on- and off-campus concerts are free for all.