Newswise — World-renowned soloists, Cleveland Orchestra musicians and Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory students will gather on the stage of Kulas Musical Arts Building, 96 Front St., Berea, April 16-18 to perform some of the world’s greatest music. The 78th Annual Baldwin-Wallace College Bach Festival, which features the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries, is the oldest collegiate Bach Festival in the United States.
Dwight Oltman, in his 35th year as festival music director, welcomes international vocal soloists Suzie LeBlanc, soprano; Jennifer Lane, mezzo-soprano; Lawrence Wiliford, tenor; Alan Bennett, tenor; Tyler Duncan, baritone and Kevin Deas, bass. They will perform in the Saturday evening concert of this year’s featured work, the St. John Passion, BWV 245.
This year’s festival also features world-class musicians who call Cleveland home The first concert on Friday features Cleveland Orchestra trumpets Michael Miller ’85, Lyle Steelman ’01 and Jack Sutte, B-W faculty, as well as Catharina Meints, cello. Also performing are B-W faculty members John Brndiar ’75,trumpet; Sungeun Kim, piano and Josh Ryan, percussion.
Saturday afternoon’s program includes Joshua Smith, principal flute with The Cleveland Orchestra, with Ann Marie Morgan, Baroque cello and Jory Vinkikour, harpsichord. They will perform a group of shorter Bach works including Sonata in E Major, BWV 1035, for flute and continuo and Sonata in B Minor, BWV 1030, for flute and harpsichord.
Friday evening’s program will feature members of the Opera Cleveland Orchestra and B-W’s Motet Choir (conducted by Dirk Garner) performing works by Bach and Buxtehude.
The Bach Festival again will offer two free concerts this year. A preview concert will be held on April 11, 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd, Cleveland Heights. It will feature the B-W Singers, string orchestra and organ, conducted by Melvin Unger, performing the Bach cantata Der Herr denket an uns, BWV196, with Margaret Scharf, organist and student soloists Madeline Healey, soprano; Gene Stenger, tenor and Aaron Dunn, bass. This concert will be repeated Sunday, April 18, 11:15 a.m. at the United Methodist Church of Berea, 170 Seminary St.
The Friday and Saturday concerts are held at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. Saturday lecture by Robin A. Lever, professor emeritus of sacred music at Westminster Choir College and visiting professor at the Julliard School and Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Following tradition each concert will be preceded by chorales from Marting Hall Tower, 50 Seminary St. John Brndiar conducts the Festival Brass.
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