Orchestra of St Luke’s Month-Long Curated Online Festival, 'Bach At Home,' Launches June 9 and Features Over 30 Video Performances

Festival Includes Orchestral, Chamber, and Solo Performances of Bach’s Work Along with Interviews, Discussions, and Essays 

Live Discussion on Bach with OSL’s Principal Conductor Bernard Labadie Interspersed with Performances by OSL Musicians

World Premiere of Works for Solo Instruments Inspired by Bach, Composed by 2020-21 DeGaetano Composition Institute Participants and Performed by OSL Musicians

World Premiere Dance to Bach Choreographed by Doug Varone for Dancer Michael Trusnovec

Bach at Home, Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL) curated online Festival, will launch on June 9 and continue through June 30, 2020, with content released each consecutive Tuesday at 12:00 pm ET. The digital Festival reconceives the 2020 OSL Bach Festival that would have taken place in June during the same period but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bach at Home will be comprised of over 30 video performances, as well as original interviews, discussions, essays, and additional archived content that will be available at OSLmusic.org/Bach.

Featured artists include Principal Conductor Bernard Labadie, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, cellist Pieter Wispelwey, harpsichordists Jean Rondeau and Pierre Hantaï, soprano Amanda Forsythe, pianist and speaker Pedja Mužijevic, composer and mentor Anna Clyne and the four emerging composers selected for OSL’s 2020 DeGaetano Composition Institute, now in its second year, which provides participants with creative development support in the creation of a new work: William Gardiner, (Brooklyn, NY), Charles Peck (Morton, PA), Jeremy Rapaport-Stein (Boston, MA), and Nicky Sohn (Houston, TX); conductor Ben Gernon, as well as students and faculty from the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s (YOSL). 

James Roe, President and Executive Director of OSL, said, “OSL is often called ‘New York’s hometown band’ and true to our moniker we are thrilled to bring this new festival to our hometown and the wider world in a medium so broadly accessible. Bach’s music transcends boundaries of time and social distancing; it is anchored in history yet speaks clearly to our contemporary circumstance. The phrase ‘abundance of caution’ has become common during the pandemic. Bach at Home is fueled by other kinds of abundance, that of humanity, passion, creativity, hope, and renewal.”

The programming for Bach at Home will be organized by different themes including Goldbergs Transformed, The Brandenburgs, Bach While Away, and Bach Today. Goldbergs Transformed will feature two versions of selected Goldberg Variations, one on harpsichord (for which Bach composed the Goldberg Variations) in a solo performance by Pierre Hantaï, juxtaposed with OSL performing a version for chamber ensemble in an original arrangement by Bernard Labadie. The Brandenburgs will feature performances by OSL of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 as well as a special archival video presentation of Paul Taylor Dance Company performing Brandenburgs, a seminal piece choreographed by Paul Taylor and presented online in this format courtesy of WNET. Bach While Away will showcase recently captured footage from guest artists and OSL musicians filmed at their homes and in their communities, including a collaboration with dancer Michael Trusnovec performing an original choreography by Doug Varone set to the Sarabande from the 5^th Cello Suite recorded by OSL violist David Cerutti; and visionary programmer and pianist Pedja Mužijevic’s offering of Bach Family Album, a program juxtaposing the keyboard music of J.S. Bach and his sons, following up on his Bach Dialogues which was presented during the 2019 OSL Bach Festival. Bach Today will present world premiere works for solo instruments based on Bach and composed by this year’s four participants in the DeGaetano Composition Institute, which will be performed and recorded by OSL musicians; artist talks and conversations conducted online and written perspectives on Bach from participating artists and Bernard Labadie; and a curated selection of existing videos of the solo artists who were to appear as part of the 2020 Bach Festival.

Original essays to be released on the OSL website on a weekly basis will include Bernard Labadie’s writings on Bach, as well as contributions from cellist Pieter Wispelwey, harpsichordist Jean Rondeau, soprano Amanda Forsythe, pianist Pedja Mužijevic, and DeGaetano Composition Institute artists sharing their favorite works of Bach. 

Orchestra of St. Luke’s created this online Festival in part with funding from a two-year grant from the League of American Orchestra’s Futures Fund. With the grant, OSL conducted a multi-city audience research project on the online viewing habits and preferences of classical music fans, and in response began producing video content centered around Bach for its website and social media platforms at OSL’s The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York City’s only acoustically optimized rehearsal and recording space dedicated to classical music. The new videos enabled by this grant—the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, the Goldberg Variations arranged for chamber ensemble, and the Goldberg Variations performed as written on the harpsichord—will be premiered the first three weeks of Bach at Home. 

The award-winning team assembled by OSL for the production of Bach at Home includes Tristan Cook, Lead Video Producer for the Festival; Dancing Camera, Audiosmith Digital Solutions and Burke Browne, respectively producers of video, audio and  lighting design for Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and the Goldberg Variations; Adam Abeshouse, Audio Engineer for Bach While Away; Liz Ostrow, Audio Producing Consultant; and Molly McBride, Producer for Virtual Streicker: Orchestra of St. Luke’s on Bach.
 

ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE’S BACH AT HOME — JUNE 9-30, 2020
Programs in chronological order

WEEK ONE - LAUNCHES TUESDAY, JUNE 9 AT 12:00 PM ET

Brandenburgs
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, BWV 1047
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Filmed, recorded, and produced at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in February 2020.

Special Presentation | Paul Taylor Dance Company
Brandenburgs - Excerpted from Paul Taylor Dance Company in Paris
A production of Thirteen in association with WNET, Paul Taylor Dance Foundation, and Bel Air Media, released in 2012. 

Bach While Away
Pieter Wispelwey Performs
Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007
Cello Suite No. 3, BWV 1009
Cello Suite No. 5, BWV 1011: Sarabande
Violin Partita No. 2, BWV 1004: Giga
Pieter Wispelwey, cello
Filmed and recorded in May 2020.

OSL Musicians Perform
Violin Sonata No. 1, BWV 1001: Fugue
Jesse Mills, violin
Filmed and recorded in May 2020.

Bach Today
Pieter Wispelwey: JS Bach 6 Suites for Cello Solo (documentary)
Recorded in 2012 and released as a bonus DVD to the double CD of Bach Cello Suites. Filmed at Oxford’s Wadham and Magdalen Colleges, it features Wispelwey in musical and academic interaction with acclaimed Bach researchers Laurence Dreyfus and John Butt.

Special Live-Stream Event - Thursday, June 11, 2020 (6:30 pm to 8:00 pm ET)
Presented online in partnership by Streicker Center of Temple Emanu-El. OSL Principal Conductor Bernard Labadie leads an in-depth discussion of Bach’s genius, interspersed with performances by members of OSL, and hosted by James Roe, OSL Executive Director.

Live performances:
Violin and Keyboard Sonata No. 3, BWV 1016: Selection
Jesse Mills, violin
Rieko Aizawa, piano

Violin Sonata No. 1, BWV 1001: Adagio
Katarzyna Bryla-Weiss, viola

WEEK TWO - LAUNCHES TUESDAY, JUNE 16 AT 12:00 PM ET

Goldbergs Transformed
Pieter Hantaï Performs the Goldberg Variations as Written by Bach
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No 3 (Canone all’Unisono)
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No 5
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No 14
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No 28 
Pierre Hantaï, harpsichord
Filmed, recorded, and produced at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in June 2019 

Bach While Away
Amanda Forsythe Performs
Bist du bei mir, BWV 508
Amanda Forsythe, soprano
Filmed and recorded in May 2020.

OSL Musicians Perform
Violin Partita No. 3, BWV 1006: Preludio
Krista Bennion Feeney, violin
Filmed and recorded in 2014.

Sylvain Bergeron Performs
Violin Partita No. 3, BWV 1006: Gavotte en Rondeau
Sylvain Bergeron, lute
Filmed and recorded in April 2020.

Bach Today
Jean Rondeau Performs
J.S. Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No.1, BWV 1052
J.C. Bach: Harpsichord Concerto, W C73
Jean Rondeau, harpsichord
Released in 2017, courtesy of Warner Classics.

Amanda Forsythe Performs
St. John Passion, BWV 245: Zerfliesse, mein Herze
Amanda Forsythe, soprano
Recorded in 2016, courtesy of Apollo’s Fire.

Paul Taylor Dance Company Performs
Junction (including a performance by Paul Taylor) performed to Cello Suite No. 4, BWV 1010: Prélude, Gigue; and Cello Suite No. 1, BWV1007: Prélude, Menuets, Gigue
Released in 1966.

WEEK THREE - LAUNCHES TUESDAY, JUNE 23 AT 12:00 PM ET

Goldbergs Transformed
OSL Performs the Goldberg Variations as Arranged by Bernard Labadie
Introduction by Bernard Labadie
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No 3 (Canone all’Unisono)
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No 5
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No 14
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No 28
Filmed, recorded, and produced at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in June 2019.

Bach While Away
Bach Family Album - Pedja Muzijevic
C.P.E. Bach: Sonata in E Minor, Wq. 59/1
W.F. Bach: Fantasy in C Minor, FK 15
J.S. Bach: Duet in E Minor, BWV 802
J.S. Bach: Duet in G Major, BWV 804
Pedja Mužijevic, piano
Filmed and recorded in May 2020. 

OSL Musicians Perform
The Musical Offering, BWV 1079: Ricercar a 3 
Robert Wolinsky, harpsichord
Filmed and recorded in June 2020.

Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008: Sarabande
Myron Lutzke, cello
Filmed and recorded in May 2020.

Bach Today
OSL and Paul Taylor Dance Company Perform
The Musical Offering, BWV 1079: Andante from Trio Sonata
Filmed, recorded, and produced at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in January 2019.

WEEK FOUR - LAUNCHES TUESDAY, JUNE 30 AT 12:00 PM ET

Special Dance Collaboration: Varone, Trusnovec, and Cerutti
Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 5, BWV 1011, with Michael Trusnovec. Performed by OSL Ensemble Member David Cerutti (viola); choreography by Doug Varone
Filmed and recorded in May 2020.

Bach Today
Bach Inspired World Premieres
Nicky Sohn: Home-Body, Home-Bach for solo cello
Daire FitzGerald, cello
Filmed and recorded in May 2020. 

Jeremy Rapaport-Stein: Jig/saw for solo bassoon
Marc Goldberg, bassoon
Filmed and recorded in May 2020.

Charles Peck: Cloak for solo viola
Katarzyna Bryla-Weiss, viola
Filmed and recorded in May 2020.

William Gardiner: Quarantine Fragments for solo violin
Eriko Sato, violin
Filmed and recorded in May 2020.

Bach While Away
OSL Musicians Perform
Violin Partita No. 2, BWV 1004: Ciaccona
Benjamin Bowman, violin
Filmed and recorded in May 2020.

OSL's Youth Orchestra Musicians Perform Bach
Youth Orchestra of St. Luke's (YOSL) String Players joined by YOSL faculty and OSL Musicians.
Filmed and recorded in May 2020. 

About Orchestra of St. Luke’s 
Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL), an independent orchestra and arts organization, evolved from a group of virtuoso musicians who began performing concerts at Greenwich Village’s Church of St. Luke in the Fields in 1974. Now in its 45^th season, the Orchestra performs over 70 times each year at venues throughout New York City and beyond. Celebrated expert in 18th-century music, Bernard Labadie, became OSL’s Principal Conductor in 2018, continuing the Orchestra’s long tradition of working with proponents of historical performance practice. 

OSL’s signature programming includes an orchestra series presented by Carnegie Hall, now in its 33^rd season; the OSL Bach Festival, presented in association with Carnegie Hall and at other venues; the Chamber Music Series presented at The Morgan Library & Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and Merkin Hall; the Music in Color free community concert tour of New York City’s five boroughs; a summer residency at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, now in its 42^nd season, and a creative partnership with Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, in which OSL provides live musical accompaniment during the company’s annual Lincoln Center season. 

OSL’s education programs include the Free School Concerts series, presenting innovative concerts to student audiences since 1977; Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s, providing free instrumental coaching to elementary and middle-school students; and the DeGaetano Composition Institute, providing emerging composers mentorship and creative support as they develop new works to be performed by the Orchestra.

In 2011, OSL opened The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York City’s only rehearsal, recording, education, and performance space expressly dedicated to classical music. The Center serves more than 500 ensembles and 30,000 musicians each year. In collaboration with Audiosmith Digital Solutions, The DiMenna Center offers state-of-art recording facilities. Recording highlights include the feature film soundtracks for Joker (Oscar winner for Best Original Score), Little Women, The Girl On The Train, The Greatest Showman, and Hail, Caesar!; Broadway cast albums for The King and I, Hello, Dolly!, and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; a Grammy Award-winning album by Roomful of Teeth; and the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 recording on Harmonia Mundi, featuring Pablo Heras-Casado and Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Learn more at OSLmusic.org or @OSLmusic on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify and more.