Bach Around The Clock 2021
10-Day Virtual Festival, March 17 – 26
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Bach Around The Clock is Madison, Wisconsin’s annual celebration of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Held every March in honor of Bach’s birthday (March 21), it offers all members of the musical community, from young students to seasoned professionals, the opportunity to perform selections by this sublime composer, to an appreciative audience. This year, the festival will again be virtual; prerecorded performances will be presented online in daily segments from March 17-26.
Submit your own self-recorded performance by March 5th. Click HERE to sign up!
Our theme for this year’s festival is “Building Bridges Through Bach”, highlighting the many ways that Bach’s music is enjoyed by performers and audiences from our diverse community.
Performances have been submitted by over 60 local professional and amateur musicians of all ages. You’ll hear Bach performed on traditional instruments like violin, viola, cello, oboe, bassoon, piano, and organ, as well as more unusual instruments like clavichord, 6-string electric bass, marimba, and saxophone quartet! We are so grateful to all the participants who have volunteered to share their talents.
Daily performances will continue to be available on our website throughout the entire festival so that viewers can watch at their convenience.
We are also excited to announce special guest artists including:
● Jonathan Øverby. distinguished Wisconsin Public Radio host of “Higher Ground,” will give a keynote talk, “The Bridge To and Through Bach“.
● Trevor Stephenson, artistic director of Madison Bach Musicians, will give a lecture, “Eternal Return in Bach’s Goldberg Variations”.
● Clifton Harrison, violist in the Kreutzer String Quartet, in residence at Oxford University, will give a master class for pre-college performers. Submissions accepted until March 5th.
● Lawrence Quinnett, on the piano faculty of Livingstone College, will perform all six of Bach’s French Suites.
Donate here to support this unique community festival!