BACH @7: SETTING A NEW TREND IN PHILLY

Four years ago, on October 16, 2013, Choral Arts and the Bach Festival of Philadelphia, inspired and led by the new bold vision of our artistic director Matthew Glandorf, launched the Bach At Seven series. Introduced on the heels of Choral Arts' big 30th Anniversary season, the idea of the monthly series represented a radical departure from traditional perceptions of what a choir concert format should be.

Although some board members were skeptical about the practicality of such innovation -- because it presented seemingly serious artistic, marketing and attendance challenges -- "the idea's time has come," as David Patrick Stearns wrote in his review for the Philadelphia Inquirer that month. 

The Inaugural Bach@7 performance: Cantata 196, final chorus

The Inaugural Bach@7 performance:
audience members speak at the (noisy!) post-concert reception

A few years earlier, the Philadelphia Bach Festival produced a short Cantata series as lunchtime concerts at the Church of The Holy Trinity on Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square. It was a huge success. When the series ended, Glandorf received many requests both from audience members and performers alike to revive the concept. "With over 300 Cantatas that have survived, only a handful are ever performed with any kind of regularity," Matt wrote in one of his interviews. "Many cities house Cantata series: New York, Leipzig, London, and even Bethlehem, PA! So Bach @7 seemed like a unique cultural opportunity for Philadelphia to have one of its own!"  

Bach@7 introduced a previously unheard of - at least locally - concert format.

Held on Wednesday evenings at 7 o’clock, the programs would run no longer than one-hour each. One of J.S. Bach's 300 cantatas or another of his choral works would be a main feature of every program.

Instead of ticket sales to cover the expenses, we would be relying on audience contributions at the door in an unpredictable "pay-what-you-wish" format. The idea was to make these programs maximally accessible to people of all ages, professions and incomes. We wanted our listeners to feel welcome and free to support these events as they are able.

The post-concert reception mixing peers and performers became another staple feature of the project. These informal gatherings stimulated the off-stage musical conversation over snacks and wine, nourishing a growing community of Bach lovers in our City.   

When programming the series, Glandorf put together an interesting collection of contrasting cantatas and other related works that spoke to the month and the season in which they were performed. Each Cantata would be individually sponsored, which provided a nice way to dedicate a performance as a memorial or  a celebration.

In its short four-year history, Bach@7 can brag about some meaningful achievements:

• Since 2013, we presented a total of 53 vocal works by J.S. Bach (including his cantatas, oratorios, motets and masses), with a record number of them (24) performed last season alone as part of the daring “1734-1735: A Season in the Life of Bach” cycle.
  


• Bach@7 has attracted and brought back numerous new listeners from Philadelphia and its suburbs, as well as from New Jersey, Delaware and even New York.


• We have premiered several commissions by leading Philadelphia composers and performed other works of the 21st century, all inspired by J.S. Bach.


• Singing Bach music together on a regular basis has taken us, as a choir, to a new level of understanding of his genius and improved our overall  ensemble music making skills.


• The series provided new opportunities to introduce the amazing talents of Philly's own rich community of vocalists, instrumentalists and composers.

“A man should hear
a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life,
in order that worldly cares
may not obliterate
the sense of the beautiful
which God has implanted
in the human soul.”
(Wolfgang Goethe)

As Bach@7 is entering its fifth season, it’s hard for us to imagine that this project could have taken any other direction. Today, we look back at our inaugural performance with fond memories and feel honored and privileged to continue this new Philly "Bach trend" into the 2017-2018 season and beyond!

• From the Bach@7 Inaugural Welcome Message by Artistic Director Matt Glandorf:
  


• As Choral Arts is beginning to move from celebrating our 30th Anniversary towards the future, I take as my starting point this quote from Wolfgang Goethe: 


• “A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”


• I am sure you are much like me: every day is filled with a list of tasks, goals and accomplishments as well as demands that need to be met. Some may be more pleasurable than others. However, if Goethe is right, all of these things need to be put into perspective once in a while. That is why we are starting our "Bach@7" series. 


• These short, one hour concerts are designed as a respite, an "Art Break" to sit and listen to some of the most extraordinary music ever created: the Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach. 


• What I like about the Cantatas is that they were heard by an audience of nearly 9000 citizens in Leipzig, by rich and poor alike. And that in a population of only 30,000! So, come and take a break with us for an hour on Wednesdays at 7pm. And then please come back for the following programs, and help us spread the word! - (published in the Fall 2013 program book, edited by IHL)
•  

Choral Arts and the Philadelphia Bach Collegium at the Bach@7 Inaugural performance. October 16, 2013. St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Inna Heasley

About the Author:

This post is contributed by Inna Lobanova-Heasley, choir member (alto) and director of marketing & communications
for Choral Arts Philadelphia and The Bach Festival of Philadelphia.

Top photo by Sharon Torello. St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Spring 2014.