Whittier College presents the 77th Annual Bach Festival—the oldest collegiate Bach festival west of the Mississippi—on April 2-6. This year’s festival celebrates Bach and the Cantata and includes various performances from students, faculty, alumni, and special guests. Noted performances include a concert by Chorale Bel Canto and solo harpsichord recital with noted Bach authority and Whittier College alumnus Raymond Erickson ’63. In addition, the Horizon Chamber Choir and Bach Ensemble, featuring world-renowned baritone Rod Gilfry, will present an interactive concert on Friday evening allowing the audience to step into the historic Leipzig kaffeehaus, Café Zimmerman, to enjoy the sounds of Bach with a cup of java.
Unless otherwise noted, all events will be held in the Whittier College Memorial Chapel, 13406 Philadelphia Street, Whittier, CA. For additional information or directions call (562) 907- 4237 or email rlitchfield@whittier.edu.
Bach Student Musicale
Friday, April 4
Noon @ Memorial Chapel
Event is free and open to the public.
Student and faculty performances of music by Bach and his contemporaries.
Love, Loss, Nonsense and Coffee with the Horizon Chamber Choir and Bach Ensemble
… a la Zimmermann’s Coffee House in Leipzig
Friday, April 4
8 p.m. @ Memorial Chapel
$20 general admission; $15 for seniors; $5 for students.
Free to Whittier students, faculty, and staff.
The Horizon Chamber Players conducted by Christian Campos perform secular cantatas by J.S. Bach, including the popular "Coffee Cantata" (BWV 211). Joining the ensemble are soloists sopranos Diana Newman and Amelia Tobiason, tenor Jon Lee Keenan, and world renowned baritone Rod Gilfry.
Choral Concert – Chorale Bel Canto
Saturday, April 5
4 p.m. @ Memorial Chapel
$20 general Admission
For tickets to this concert only, (888) 460-9222
Harpsichord Recital – Raymond Erickson ’63
Sunday, April 6
8 p.m. @ Memorial Chapel
$10 general admission. $5 for seniors and students.
Free to Whittier students, faculty, and staff.
Raymond Erickson ’63, editor of The Worlds of Johann Sebastian Bach (Amadeus Press, 2009), is one of the most experienced teachers of historical performance practice in the nation, having taught it since 1975. Recently retired from Queens College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, he has given lectures and master classes on Bach interpretation in the US and Europe. He is a graduate of Whittier College and holds a Ph.D. from Yale.
