Boulder Bach Festival History
In the summer of 1981 a group of Boulder music lovers decided they would celebrate the life and music of Johann Sebastian Bach by presenting three concerts during the weekend of his March birth date. Since that first season, the Festival has expanded to take Bach’s music to a variety of venues in Boulder and surrounding communities. Other events now scheduled around the calendar include one or more chamber concerts in the fall and two special children’s concerts – Kids for Bach and Bach for Kids – in collaboration with the Boulder Public Library in the spring. Organ concerts are scheduled in area churches. Periodic Young Artist Competitions feature teen-age performers and offer cash prizes to promising young artists.
In the last two years, the Boulder Bach Festival has added outreach concerts at various non-profit help organizations, a children’s museum, and at senior centers and residence facilities. The introduction of the Festival Chamber Singers in 2009-10, drawn by audition from the main Festival Chorus, increased the flexibility of the Festival to perform Bach’s smaller works and made possible more outreach performances. From the hopeful beginning of the March 1982 debut, the festival has grown into the highly acclaimed festival of today through the talents and determination of its founders, the consistent support of its audience, the vision and leadership of its Board of Directors, and the help of countless volunteers. In this past season the Festival brought Bach’s great B minor Mass to over a thousand audience members in the Boulder–Denver region. And now, as the Festival enters is fourth decade, the future looks bright. New music director Rick Erickson brings a wealth of stimulating new ideas and a self-renewing strategic plan assures that his vision becomes reality.
Historical Sequence of Major Works
- 1982 Magnificat, BWV 243
- 1983 Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
- 1984 St. John Passion, BWV 245
- 1985 St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
- 1986 Easter Oratorio, BWV 249
- 1987 B Minor Mass, BWV 232
- 1988 Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
- 1989 Magnificat, BWV 243
- 1990 St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
- 1991 B Minor Mass, BWV 232
- 1992 St. John Passion, BWV 245
- 1993 Easter Oratorio, BWV 249
- 1994 Magnificat, BWV 243
- 1995 St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
- 1996 Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
- 1997 B Minor Mass, BWV 232
- 1998 Ascension Oratorio, BWV 11; Magnificat, BWV 243
- 1999 St. John Passion, BWV 245
- 2000 St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
- 2001 St. Mark Passion, BWV 247
- 2002 B Minor Mass, BWV 232
- 2003 St. Matthew Passion
- 2004 Christmas Oratorio, Parts I,II,III, BWV 248; Magnificat, BWV 243
- 2005 B Minor Mass, BWV 232
- 2006 St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
- 2007 St. Matthew Passion, BWV 243, and Easter Oratorio, BWV 249
- 2008 St John Passion, BWV 245
- 2009 Missa in F major, “Lutheran Mass,” BWV 233 and Missa in A major, “Lutheran Mass,” BWV 234
- 2010 Motet no. 2: “Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf” and Motet no. 3: “Jesu Meine Freude”
- 2011 Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
