Waiting RoomSinging is our passion, and for over 63 years the Kalamazoo Bach Festival has been privileged to share its love for choral music in southwest Michigan. Made up of over 75 singing-strong volunteer members, the Bach Festival Chorus is dedicated to presenting choral music programming of the highest caliber throughout the year.

The 2009-10 Season begins with a special recital in October featuring Kalamazoo College organist Timothy Tikker, performing works by J.S. Bach, Mendelssohn, and Messiaen. Continuing in December, the Bach Festival Chorus rings in the holiday season with BachFest Christmas!—a program featuring the music of J.S. Bach, Gabrieli, Monteverdi, and Daniel Pinkham. January 2010 brings the return of the internationally-renowned St. Olaf Choir. Led by conductor Anton Armstrong, the St. Olaf Choir remains at the forefront of choral excellence and artistry. Finally, during our spring choral concert, we pay homage to English composer Henry Purcell (1659-95). This concert will highlight excerpts from Dido and Aeneas, King Arthur, and The Fairy Queen, celebrating the anniversary season of the composer’s birth.

Every year we honor the music and life of J.S. Bach during Bach Festival Week. In May 2010 we look forward to our collaborations with the American Guild of Organists, Kalamazoo College History Department, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and area churches. From the Bach-Around-the-Block Organ Crawl to “The World of….J. S. Bach” with the Kalamazoo Symphony, we celebrate the composer’s legacy with an exciting week of music and song.

In addition to the many performances we present during the season, our organization remains committed to promoting and preserving the art of choral music in our community. Ever year the Kalamazoo Bach Festival sponsors a High School Choral Festival, provides on-site choral coaching for area middle schools, offers master classes for college and high school students, and hosts other special events as part of our Education and Outreach Series.

On behalf of the Bach Festival Chorus, Board of Directors, and staff, we invite you to discover our world of choral music this season. We believe that choral music uplifts our spirits, inspires our hearts, and transcends all barriers—singing is truly our passion. I look forward to seeing you in the concert halls soon!


Jim Turner, Music Director

Kalamazoo Bach Festival presents Cantus in Concert
2/19/09
Cantus, one of America’s finest vocal ensembles, sings with one of the freshest and most engaging sounds in choral music today. Cantus’ brilliant sound and heart-felt singing have garnered the highest praise from critics and audiences alike. Cantus’ concert, entitled “A Sound Like This,” will feature adventurous programming spanning many periods and genres, including chant, contemporary works, art song, folk, spirituals, world music and pop. Cantus will perform in concert on Thursday, March 26th, 8:00 p.m., at Portage Northern High School Auditorium.
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11th Annual High School Choral Festival - A Master Class for Choirs
1/19/09
Come and hear how beautiful choral music is created during the Kalamazoo Bach Festival's 11th annual High School Choral Festival on Wednesday and Thursday, February 11 and 12, at Kalamazoo College . Timothy Takach, a member of the internationally known vocal ensemble Cantus, will coach ten school choirs from across southwest Michigan . Each choir will prepare two pieces to sing for Mr. Takach and an audience of the other participating choirs, their conductors, and any area music lovers who would like to attend. Mr. Takach will coach each choir in turn in a master class, non-adjudicated format.
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Bach Fest Christmas!
11/8/08
Kalamazoo Bach Festival's 38th annual concert of joyous Christmas music will be presented on December 14th at 4:00 pm. Performed in Kalamazoo College's beautifully decorated Stetson Chapel, the Bach Festival Chorus, under the direction of Jim Turner, will be joined by the Western Brass Quintet, Janet Hill on organ and piano, and guest guitarists Miles Kusik, Jackie Zito and Victor Garcia, to bring you music of composers Mendelssohn, Willcocks, Vaughn Williams, Britton, and others. The refrains of familiar carols and other seasonal music will be a wonderful gift to share with friends and family as the holiday season approaches.
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Kalamazoo Bach Festival Season "Begins with Bach"
10/10/08
The Kalamazoo area is known for its abundance of very talented musicians. To open its 62nd season, the Kalamazoo Bach Festival will present "Beginning With Bach", a collage concert on Friday, October 10, at 8:00 p.m. in the Light Fine Arts Building at Kalamazoo College, featuring the timeless music of J.S. Bach presented by some of the area's finest vocalists and instrumentalists. Performers will be master musicians Phyllis Rappeport on harpsichord and Yu-Lien The on alto recorder, the Aspire Ensemble Vocal Quartet, and the Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra. Click to Read Full Article > > >
Kalamazoo Bach Festival to perform Rachmaninoff's Vespers
4/17/08
Many choirs don't perform Sergei Rachmaninoff's Vespers because of its choral complexity. For this a cappella performance, a choir must execute Russian language and diction, maintain perfect pitch, blend 70 voices, and someone, somewhere has to hit a low B flat (the third B flat below middle C).
The Bach Festival Chorus, led by music director Jim Turner, will perform this challenging piece as the Festival Finale Concert in the acoustically and architecturally stunning First Congregational Church, downtown Kalamazoo on May 17, at 8:00 p.m. Click to Read Full Article > > >
Bach Festival presents 'A Valentine Concert - from Bach to Broadway'
1/17/08
The Kalamazoo Bach Festival will present A Valentine Concert -From Bach to Broadway, Saturday, February 9, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. in the Light Fine Arts Building at Kalamazoo College, 1200 Academy Street.
The concert offers a variety of highlights including the performance of Bach's Bist Du Bei Mir, the only love song ever written by the famous composer, as well as selections from the operas "Porgy and Bess," "Rigoletto," "Romeo and Juliet" and "Candide." Click to Read Full Article > > >