About the Lexington Bach Festival
The Festival Orchestra returns to Lexington, Michigan this September after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last fall, the Lexington Bach Festival became active again with performances by Mark Markham, Axiom Brass and Leah Crocetto. We were glad to be able to serve our audiences again, but all of us have been awaiting the return of the Festival Orchestra to Lexington.
Here's what we have in store for you:
The festival opens on Thursday in Port Huron's St. Clair County Community College with a varied program of musicby Bach, Price and Haydn performed by the Festival String Quartet. On Friday, the festival features Duo Silvio, comprised of two masters of the Baroque Lute. Richard Stone and Cameron Welke will perform music by Silvius Leopold Weiss and Johann Sebastian Bach. Weiss was considered the greatest lute player of his time (his dates coincide closely with those of J.S. Bach), and the duo regularly performs Stone's reconstructions of Weiss's lute duos as well as the music of Bach. The acclaimed soprano, Josefien Stoppelenburg, joins the festival orchestra for Mozart's Exsultate jubilate as well as virtuoso arias by Handel and Vivaldi. The Festival Orchestra will present works by Mozart, and JS Bach, including premieres of two Ricercars from A Musical Offering orchestrated by the festival's Music Director, John Thomas Dodson.
Join us for the twenty second year celebrating the music of Bach in Lexington: September 15 - 18, 2022!
Located 80 miles north of Detroit, the village of Lexington is in the Blue Water Thumb Region of Michigan. Each year the Lexington Bach Festival offers residents and visitors to "the first resort north" great music by Johann Sebastian Bach and composers influenced by his works.
The Lexington Bach Festival was founded by violinist, teacher, and musical force of nature, Julia Kurtyka in 2000. Working with Lexington Arts Council, and Festival leadership of Lee Jones, she engaged Don Th. Jaeger as its first music and artistic director. Don Th. Jaeger led the festival for fifteen years, collaborating with artists as diverse as Jazz musician, Chris Brubeck; Concert Violinist, Caroline Goulding and Concertmaster of four major orchestras, William Preucil. When Julia Kurtyka passed away in 2011, her work was continued by Denice Turck and Kay DeLuca. Their devotion to continuing this festival was met with support and cooperation from the Lexington Arts Council. In 2014, Maestro Jaeger stepped down from the position of music director of the Lexington Bach Festival, and John Thomas Dodson was named as his successor.
One of the most unique elements of this music festival is the degree to which it is ingrained into the community of Lexington. The musicians are guests of the community, housed in their homes and celebrated for bringing their gifts of music to enhance the quality of life of the Lexington residents. This special bond with the community has developed into a defining characteristic of the Lexington Bach Festival. Concerts are well attended, the musicians are respected as visiting artists, and individuals. Patrons, local businesses and the Lexington Arts Council continue to provide the annual financial support necessary to make the festival a success.