The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Music Director Ken-David Masur, and Community Partners Present Bach Fest

Milwaukee, Wis. 3/12/2024 – The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and Music Director Ken-David Masur will present Bach Fest from March 17-24 with community partners throughout Milwaukee. The festival, which is sponsored by the We Energies Foundation, includes performances in churches, cafés, lounges, partner arts venues, City Hall, and the Bradley Symphony Center.

“Music is a powerful force that has the ability to unite people and create a sense of community,” said Masur. “For over three centuries, Bach’s music has been a shining example of this, and it continues to inspire and bring us together today. Together with our own musicians and chorus, I am excited to collaborate with our amazing community partners and renowned guest artists to create a week-long celebration of music and unity throughout the city.”

Bach Fest will begin with a FREE community event at the Bradley Symphony Center on March 18, featuring performances by MSO musicians and our community partners: the Northwest Thundering Eagles of Carmen High School of Science and Technology, Just Bach, Holy Redeemer Institutional C.O.G.I.C. choir, The Milwaukee Choristers, and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) Bach Ensemble, as well as individuals including Ayahmi Johnson (soprano) and Ellen Shuler (piano); Susie Robinson (soprano) and Mary Keppeler (harp); and Jonah Denae (lyricist) and Peter Thomas (cello).

Performances of community partners as well as MSO musicians will take place throughout the week at: Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel, Colectivo Coffee, Third Street Market Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church, Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, St. Marcus Lutheran Church, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Matthew’s Ev. Lutheran Church, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, St. Sebastian Parish, and the City Hall Tower and Rotunda.

Bach Fest will culminate March 22-24 in a full weekend of concerts and pre-concert events at the Bradley Symphony Center. Masur, the MSO, the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, and guest artists Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord), and Rachell Ellen Wong (violin) perform two all-Bach programs, including three Brandenburg Concertos, the Magnificat, two violin concertos, a harpsichord concerto, and one of Bach’s orchestral suites.

A panel discussion with contributions by Masur, Esfahani, Wong, Christoph Wolff, and Cheryl Frazes Hill, titled “Bach and Our World,” will take place between the performances on Saturday, March 23, at 5:00 pm. Community partners will also perform before the Friday and Saturday evening concert and the Sunday matinee and include MYSO, Chant Claire, The Milwaukee Choristers, and ensembles from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.

See below for a full list of Bach Fest events throughout the city and ticket information, as well as the list of community partners. You can also visit mso.org/bach for up-to-date event information.

BACH FEST EVENTS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

BACH STRING CELEBRATION
Sunday, March 17 at 1:00 pm
Third Street Market Hall
275 W Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee
Suzuki Community Players perform selections for string ensembles by Bach.
Free and open to the public

BACH BIRTHDAY RECITAL
Sunday, March 17 at 4:00 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
1717 Church St, Wauwatosa
Organist Curt Sather performs a selection of Bach’s works for organ.
Free and open to the public with suggested goodwill offering

MYSO WINTER CHAMBER ENSEMBLE PROGRAM RECITALS
Sunday, March 17 at 6:00 pm
Milwaukee Youth Arts Center
325 W Walnut St, Milwaukee
The MYSO Bach Ensemble will be the final group to perform at the MYSO Winter Chamber Ensemble Program Recitals.
Free and open to the public

BACH FEST AT CITY HALL
Monday, March 18 at 12:00 noon
City Hall Tower and Rotunda
200 E. Wells St., Milwaukee
Milwaukee Festival Brass Ensemble, Double Quintet
Free and open to the public

LIVE BACH STRINGS
Monday, March 18 – Friday, March 22 at 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
139 E Kilbourn Ave, Milwaukee
MSO musicians perform live music just in time for Happy Hour
Monday, March 18: Shinae Ra, cello
Tuesday, March 19: Peter Thomas, electric cello
Wednesday, March 20: Glenn Asch, violin
Thursday, March 21: Adrien Zitoun, cello
Friday, March 22: Paul Hauer, violin
Free and open to the public

MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BACH WEEK OPENING CEREMONY
Monday, March 18 at 6:30 pm
Bradley Symphony Center
212 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
Start Bach Fest off with a vibrant celebration of Bach and Bach-inspired performances featuring our local community partners. From a brass ensemble to song and even a drumline, you won’t want to miss this exciting evening packed with local talent, surprise guests, and glorious live music.
Free and open to the public. Reserve your free ticket at mso.org.

MARCUS FINE ARTS SERIES: BACH CHORALE SING-ALONG
Tuesday, March 19 at 7:00 pm
St. Marcus Lutheran Church
2215 N Palmer St, Milwaukee
Levi Nagel, choir director | David Porth, organ |  Bryan Gerlach, organ
Guest Choir Appearance by Chant Claire
Free and open to the public. Freewill donations appreciated.

MUSIC AT HISTORIC TRINITY: JUST BACH
Tuesday, March 19 at 7:00 pm
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Milwaukee
1046 N 9th Street, Milwaukee
A live performance of selections by local ensemble Just Bach led by artistic directors Charlie Rasmussen and Ryne Cherry.
Visit justbach.org to learn more.
Free and open to the public with suggested goodwill offering

BACH AT COLECTIVO
Tuesday, March 19 at 11:00 am
Colectivo Coffee – Wauwatosa 68th Street
6745 W. Wells St., Wauwatosa
Beth Giacobassi, bassoon

Thursday, March 21 at 11:00 am
Colectivo Coffee – Humboldt Blvd.
2999 N Humboldt Blvd., Milwaukee
Kyung Ah Oh, violin
Free and open to the public

BACH’S BIRTHDAY BASH (LECTURE AND CONCERT)
Wednesday, March 20 at 12:00 noon
St. Matthew’s Ev. Lutheran Church
1615 N Wauwatosa Ave, Wauwatosa
John Paradowski (organist and director of music, St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church) & Curt Sather (organist and director of music, Trinity Episcopal Church) present insights into Bach’s life and works.
Free and open to the public with suggested goodwill offering

MILWAUKEE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (MYSO) BACH ENSEMBLE
BAROQUE MASTERCLASS WITH RACHELL ELLEN WONG
Wednesday, March 20 at 7:00 pm
Milwaukee Youth Arts Center Shakespeare Studio
325 W Walnut St, Milwaukee
Free and open to the public

BACH: INSIDE & OUTSIDE THE BOX
Thursday, March 21 at 7:00 pm
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Helen Bader Hall
1584 N Prospect Ave, Milwaukee
Free and open to the public

MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – BACH FEST I: BRANDENBURG
Friday, March 22 at 7:30 pm | Saturday, March 23 at 2:30 pm
Friday pre-concert performance by the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra beginning at 6:45 pm
Saturday post-concert performance by the Microcosm Ensemble: Mixed Winds Chamber Trio and a vocal ensemble from Wisconsin Conservatory of Music beginning at 4:30 pm
Bradley Symphony Center
212 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
Happy birthday, Bach! In celebration, Music Director Ken-David Masur and the MSO perform two complete programs of Bach favorites with the help of harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and Baroque violinist Rachell Ellen Wong, Grand Prize winner of the inaugural Lillian and Maurice Barbash J. S. Bach Competition. This first of two programs includes two of Bach’s famed Brandenburg Concertos, the balanced and brilliant Violin Concerto in E major, and finally the Orchestral Suite No. 3 with its cherished “Air” movement for strings.
Tickets available at mso.org, by phone at 414-291-7605, or in person at the Box Office.

MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA “BACH AND OUR WORLD” (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Saturday, March 23 at 5:00 pm
Bradley Symphony Center
212 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
The panel discussion will include contributions by Music Director Ken-David Masur, Mahan Esfahani (harpsicord), Rachell Ellen Wong (violin), Chorus Director Cheryl Frazes Hill, and Christoph Wolff as they discuss the enduring legacy of Bach in our world.
Free and open to the public

MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – BACH FEST II: MAGNIFICAT
Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 pm | Sunday, March 24 at 2:30 pm
Saturday pre-concert performance by Chant Claire beginning at 6:45 pm
Sunday pre-concert performance by The Milwaukee Choristers beginning at 1:45 pm
Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday celebration continues as Music Director Ken-David Masur, harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, and Baroque violinist Rachell Ellen Wong lead the Milwaukee Symphony in favorite Bach masterpieces. This second of two programs culminates with Bach’s Magnificat, which celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2023. The Milwaukee Symphony Chorus lends its power to Magnificat’s story, in which Mary first discovers she will bear God’s son; its sacred message is told in her voice, beginning with “Magnificat anima mea Dominum” or “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
Tickets available at mso.org, by phone at 414-291-7650, or in person at the Box Office.

THE MILWAUKEE CHORISTERS “JOURNEYS”
Friday, April 12 & Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 7:30pm
St. Sebastian Parish
5400 W Washington Blvd, Milwaukee
Tickets available at milwaukeechoristers.org

COMMUNITY PARTNERS
3rd Street Market Hall
Northwest Thundering Eagles, Carmen High School of Science and Technology
Andrea Brown-Westfahl, conductor
Chant Claire
Ben Bedroske, artistic director
Colectivo Coffee
Holy Redeemer Institutional C.O.G.I.C.
Pastor Valerie Daniels-Carter, sr. pastor | Ayinde Garry, minister of music
Jonah Denae, lyricist | Peter Thomas, cello
Mahan Esfahani, harpsicord
Ayahmi Johnson, soprano | Ellen Shuler, accompanist
Just Bach
The Milwaukee Choristers
Dr. James B. Kinchen, Jr., music director
Microcosm Ensemble
Freya Irani, viola | Doobo Lee, violin
Milwaukee Festival Brass
Mark A. Taylor, director
Milwaukee Symphony Chorus
Cheryl Frazes Hill, director
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Ken-David Masur, music director
Milwaukee Youth Arts Center
Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO)
MYSO Bach Ensemble
Ravenna Helson, conductor
Musicians of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Susie Robinson, soprano | Mary Keppeler, harp
Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
Suzuki String Players
St. Marcus Church
Levi Nagel, chorus director | David Porth, organ | Bryan Gerlach, organ
St. Matthew’s Ev. Lutheran Church
John Paradowski, organist and director of music
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
Trinity Episcopal Church
Curt Sather, organist and director of music
We Energies Foundation
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music Vocal Ensemble
Danielle Gedemer, soprano | Kaisa Herrmann, soprano | JP Horcasitas, piano
Rachell Ellen Wong, violin

About the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Ken-David Masur, is among the finest orchestras in the nation and the largest cultural institution in Wisconsin. Since its inception in 1959, the MSO has found innovative ways to give music a home in the region, develop music appreciation and talent among area youth, and raise the national reputation of Milwaukee. The MSO’s 72 full-time professional musicians perform over 135 classics, pops, family, education, and community concerts each season in venues throughout the state. A pioneer among American orchestras, the MSO has performed world and American premieres of works by John Adams, Roberto Sierra, Philip Glass, Geoffrey Gordon, Marc Neikrug, and Matthias Pintscher, as well as garnered national recognition as the first American orchestra to offer live recordings on iTunes. Now in its 52nd season, the orchestra’s nationally syndicated radio broadcast series, the longest consecutive-running series of any U.S. orchestra, is heard annually by more than two million listeners. The MSO’s standard of excellence extends beyond the concert hall and into the community, reaching more than 70,000 children and their families through its Arts in Community Education (ACE) program, Youth and Teen concerts, and Family Series.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.