Following the resounding success of last year’s program, the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival has announced the return of “Bach Again,” an evening dedicated to the timeless works of Johann Sebastian Bach. This performance will take place on Tuesday, August 20 at Christ Episcopal Church in Cooperstown, NY, and concludes this summer’s Cooperstown Music Festival season.
Founded in 1999 by flutist Linda Chesis, the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival has been bringing world-class chamber music performances to the Cooperstown area for over 25 years. The festival has featured performances by the American, Juilliard, St. Lawrence, Jupiter, and Jasper String Quartets, Stefon Harris, Bill Charlap, Kurt Elling, Simone Dinnerstein, Mark O’Connor, John Pizzarelli, the Sonia Olla Flamenco Dance Company, and many more. Concerts are held in venues across Cooperstown, including the grand Otesaga Hotel, The Farmers’ Museum, and Christ Church (the church of author James Fenimore Cooper).
What is “Bach Again?”
To cap off this summer’s successful series, “Bach Again,” an evening dedicated to the timeless works of Johann Sebastian Bach, will be making its return on August 20 at 7 p.m. Violinist Rachell Ellen Wong, a rising star in the world of Baroque music and winner of a prestigious Avery Fisher Grant, will join an equally illustrious ensemble of musicians, including cellist Wolfram Koessel, harpsichordist Bradley Brookshire, and flutist Linda Chesis, Festival Founder and Artistic Director, for a concert exploring Bach’s rich body of work.
Described by the legendary pianist Glenn Gould as “the greatest architect of sound who ever lived,” J. S. Bach is arguably the most influential and most beloved composer in the history of Western classical music. Intensely personal yet profoundly universal, his music has inspired devotion in countless generations of musicians and listeners alike.
The concert on August 20th offers audiences an opportunity to sample a cross-section of the composer’s varied instrumental sonatas, including the monumental Chaconne in D minor and the Trio Sonata from The Musical Offering. The performance will also feature Glimmerglass Festival Young Artist Winona Martin, mezzo-soprano, who will offer renditions of Bach’s beloved arias.
Theories abound as to why Bach’s music remains so compelling to audiences throughout the ages, but perhaps the answer is simple. “Bach’s music speaks to that part of us all that yearns for beauty and goodness,” says Festival Artistic Director Linda Chesis. “Every time we encounter his music, we experience that yearning anew.”
How To Purchase
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the enduring beauty of Bach’s compositions in the intimate setting of Christ Episcopal Church. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students and children. Tickets can be purchased in advance, either online or over the phone, by calling 800-316-8559 and selecting option 1. Please note that there is a $2 service fee per phone order. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door if any remain.
