CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Chambana Today) — Two of J.S. Bach’s most popular and festive choral works are set to kick off the 29th season of the Baroque Artists of Champaign Urbana, also known as BACH.
The opening concert, entitled “Back-to-Back Bach: 275th Anniversary Celebration,” will be presented at Grace Lutheran Church, located at 313 South Prospect Avenue in Champaign, on Sunday, November 16 at 4 p.m. A livestream will also be made available for home viewing.
The concert is designed to honor the 275th anniversary of Bach’s death and celebrate the treasured role of his music around the world. The chosen pieces are also timely for the season, involving themes of Advent and Christmas.
Bach’s Magnificat in D will open the concert with dramatic choruses and well-known solos accompanied by flutes, oboes, and strings, accented with trumpet and timpani. The second half will stay in the same joyful key with Gloria in D, a work so successful that Bach used it again in his famous Mass in B Minor.
Tickets to the event cost $10 for students and $20 for adults, and are available for purchase at baroqueartists.org or at the door. Audience members are invited to stay for refreshments after the concert.
The BACH season continues with its annual “Messiah Sing-along” on November 30 at First Baptist Church in Savoy. The March 8 concert, “Winter Comfort,” will offer an hour of contemplative music from many time periods. On May 31, “As the Deer Longs” will focus on the text of Psalm 42. All events are on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m., with locations on the BACH website.
The BACH choir has also been chosen to open the next Five Cities Baroque Festival with a concert on June 16, 2026. Details for the event will be announced at a later date.
A non-profit founded in 1996, BACH specializes in music of the Baroque, but performs music from all periods, striving for musical excellence and relevance to modern audiences. The group’s 40-plus members are a mix of experienced amateurs and professional musicians. Sarah Riskind is in her fifth year leading the group.
More information is available at baroqueartists.org or by contacting BACH at info@baroqueartists.org.