After a triumphant sold-out debut in New York City in May 2024, Bach Virtuosi Festival (BVF) is set to return in May. Praised by The Boston Globe as a “can’t-miss classical event,” this renowned celebration of baroque music promises another extraordinary season. Given the overwhelming demand for tickets in 2024, securing a seat for this year’s performances is highly recommended.
Now in its 10th year in Portland, Maine—where it runs from June 18-24—BVF is considered a new festival to the New York classical music scene, even though many of its musicians teach at The Juilliard School and work individually in the City. Its inaugural NYC series took place in May 2024 at the Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch (552 West End Avenue and 87th Street), and this revered venue will once again host two concerts on May 13 and 20. Additionally, a performance will take place at the Church of the Heavenly Rest (1085 Fifth Avenue and 90th Street) on May 15.
At its heart, BVF is a tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach, reinterpreting the masterful sonatas, cantatas, partitas, concerti and arias that cemented his legacy. Founded by acclaimed violinist and longtime Upper West Sider, Lewis Kaplan, the festival attracts many of the world’s foremost baroque musicians, including violinists Renée Jolles and Ariadne Daskalakis, harpsichordist Arthur Haas, flutist Emi Ferguson, trumpeter John Thiessen, and vocalists Sherezade Panthaki and Brian Giebler. BVF’s excellence has been recognized with prestigious honors, including the MacArthur Fellow “Genius Grant” and Early Music America’s Howard Mayer Brown Award for Lifetime Achievement. Many of the musicians performing each year are part of the core management, who have played together since 2016, with new additions adding to the festival’s dynamic spirit each year.
These virtuosic musicians perform at the New York Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall, as well as teach at Juilliard, Yale, and Eastman School of Music, making the festival a natural fit for the city’s rich musical landscape.
In addition to the primary concerts, BVF’s Associate Musicians—a talented group of emerging artists from Juilliard—will offer a free performance at the Musical Instrument Gallery of The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday, May 10 at 1:00 p.m., providing audiences with a unique opportunity to experience baroque music in an intimate setting.
The opening night concert, Bach: From Cöthen to Leipzig, will take place at Saint Ignatius on Tuesday, May 13, beginning with Orchestral Suite in C Major, BWV 1066 and concluding with Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147, featuring approximately 20 musicians under the baton of Lewis Kaplan—still an inspiring force at 91 ½ years old. The second concert, Bach Illuminated, will be held at the Church of the Heavenly Rest on Thursday, May 15, and will highlight Dušan Balarin, a renowned lutenist performing on three of the concert’s four works. The concluding concert, Bach Finale, will be performed at Saint Ignatius on Tuesday, May 20, focusing predominantly on J.S. Bach works, as well as a piece by his son, C.P.E. Bach, Trio Sonata in B-Flat Major, H.578 and a commissioned work by Juilliard composition student, Matthew Schultheis, performed by the Associate Musicians.
Looking to experience this breathtaking festival? Don’t miss out—explore highlights from last year’s debut concert and secure your tickets for BVF New York by purchasing tickets today.
