Composer

Harpsichordist Jean Rondeau returns to lead OSL in the finale of this year’s Bach Festival with a program tracing the evolution of the Bach dynasty’s music across the 18th century.

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Jean Rondeau and The Bach Dynasty

Carnegie Hall

With the death of his patron Prince Nikolaus Esterházy in 1790, Haydn became a free agent, and Johann Peter Salomon seized the opportunity to bring Europe’s most famous composer to Soho. Haydn's music already dominated the fashionable Hanover Square Rooms, especially after the death of the London-based Johann Christian Bach (youngest son of Johann Sebastian), whose Symphony in G minor opens the concert's second half.

Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 2 was premiered at Hanover Square in 1784. A decade later, he embarked on his second trip to London, and from this period come two of his best-known symphonies, earning nicknames through their popularity: the "Military" (No. 100), and the "London" (No. 104).

The English Baroque Soloists have this music in their blood, and their use of period instruments casts these works in an entirely fresh light. They are joined by cellist Christophe Coin, making his MCO debut. Historically-informed performance specialist Peter Whelan returns to direct after a “thrilling” (The Times), "dazzling" (The Observer) and “unbeatable” (Scherzo) debut with the orchestra in 2024.

Haydn in London

St Martin-in-the-Fields

London in 1748, it attracted 12,000 people, and a veritable traffic chaos arose around London Bridge. We expect more civilized conditions around the churches of Funen when the Odense Symphony Orchestra, together with the ultra-concise Magnus Fryklund, tackles Handel's masterpiece in our traditional baroque church concert, which also offers a concert version of Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas - an epic story of love and betrayal. We guarantee goosebumps and existential angst in the most beautiful packaging to complement the baroque fireworks.

Music For The Royal Fireworks

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Faaborg Kirke/ Faaborg Church

Saint Hans Church Odense

Pianist Sebastian Knauer and a string quintet take a musical journey from the Baroque to the Classical period, in which the development of the piano concerto genre within the Bach family is shown in a fascinating way. Father Johann Sebastian was the first composer ever to give the piano/harpsichord a solo role alongside the orchestra. His sons Carl Philipp Emanuel, Wilhelm Friedemann and Johann Christian masterfully continued this tradition, and adapted their concertos both to contemporary taste and to innovations in musical instrument making. In this respect, the Bach family made a significant contribution to the emancipation of the piano as a solo instrument in the mid-18th century on the way to Mozart. The Bach sons’ piano concertos in this program are rarities, very rarely heard in concert.

Sebastian Knauer’s Bach & Sons

Trinity United Methodist Church Savannah

The renowned Czech ensemble Capella da Camera Praga will present the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his sons in the Church of St. Simon and Jude, with whom we will move from the Baroque to the Classical period. The programme is thematically linked to the September concert Bach and Sons I.

Bach and his sons II

Church of Saints Simon and Jude

Simone Pirri & Christophe Rousset

Amici della Musica di Padova

The Calgary Phil goes Baroque (and classical) at the beautiful Bella Concert Hall! Conductor and bassoonist Mathieu Lussier leads the Orchestra in a varied and witty program of music by Johann Christian Bach and an overture by Sophie Gail (famous in her day as a composer of opéra comique), plus Haydn's Symphony No. 98, a profound tribute to his dear friend Mozart.

Baroque at Bella with Mathieu Lussier

Mount Royal University

Frisson features the best and brightest of classical music's stars! The group showcases emerging young artists as well as seasoned professionals and has skyrocketed to become one of the leading musical groups. Frisson performs engaging programs for winds, piano trio and piano quartet programs, as well as popular programs featuring music by such composers as Gershwin and Piazzolla. The ensemble performs in over 25 cities annually including appearances in such diverse venues as the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City, for the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles and at the Bermuda Festival.

Frisson Ensemble

United Methodist Church Ridgecrest

St. Wenceslas Music Festival: Mahan Esfahani & Prague Philharmonia

Kostel Sv. Cyrila a Metoděje

"Baroque Masterpieces"
To mark the anniversary of "600 Years of the Church in Steinbach," the Baroque Orchestra of the Thuringia Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach will be making its first appearance at the Altenstein Summer Concerts on the eve of the Open Monument Day. The concert is also part of the "Listen to a Monument" series organized by the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen (Savings Bank Cultural Foundation Hesse-Thuringia).

FESTIVE CONCERT for the Open Monument Day

Evangelical Lutheran Baroque Church

»DAMNED HOSPITALITY« – VII. Weimar Silent Film Retrospective & Live Music

Belvedere Weimar

Knights, sorceresses, wizards, fairies and demons in a fairy tale about love, revenge and adventure: with this opera for the whole family by Johann Christian Bach, things will be colorful and exciting in…

Amadis, The Knight

Oper Leipzig

Mit dem aktuellen Barock+-Programm gastiert das hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt im Anschluss beim Würzburger Mozartfest. In Würzburgs Großer Residenz werden dabei eine Sinfonie Johann Christian Bachs, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts Violinkonzert A-Dur KV 219 und Joseph Haydns Sinfonie Nr. 103 (»mit dem Paukenwirbel«) mit der Geigerin Noa Wildshuh und dem Dirigenten Ivor Bolton zu erleben sein.

Mozartfest Würzburg

Following its current Baroque+ program, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra will perform at the Würzburg Mozart Festival. In Würzburg's Great Residence, the program will include a symphony by Johann Christian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Violin Concerto in A major, K. 219, and Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 103 ("with the timpani roll"), featuring violinist Noa Wildschut and conductor Ivor Bolton.

Mozart Festival Würzburg

London has always been a musical metropolis, no question. But those who once shaped its music scene rarely bore typically British names. This was ultimately no disadvantage, however, as these new "London Masters" produced some of the finest works. Johann Christian Bach was one of them, Joseph Haydn another. Haydn wrote his last symphonies in London, and they set new standards not only there. His Symphony No. 103 is considered one of his most modern, indeed visionary. It has an opening that is hard to forget: a solo timpani intrada – an unprecedented effect for the London audience and still breathtaking in its impact today. Before Haydn, Johann Christian Bach had already set the tone in London, and Mozart revered the "London Bach" like almost no other composer colleague – they had met there in 1764. Conductor Ivor Bolton is not from London, but from near Manchester. However, he studied in the capital and worked there in the 1980s with historically informed performance ensembles before forging a career in Munich, Salzburg, and Madrid. He regularly brings this vibrant, spirited approach from the world of early music to the world of classical symphony orchestras – so it's not just the famous timpani roll that will have a special effect.

London champions

Hessischer Rundfunk

London war immer eine Musik-Metropole, keine Frage. Aber die, die einst für die Musik dort sorgten, trugen selten typisch britische Namen. Was letztlich aber kein Schaden war, lieferten diese neuen »Londoner Meister« doch allerfeinste Werke. Johann Christian Bach war einer von ihnen, Joseph Haydn ein anderer. Seine letzten Sinfonien schrieb Haydn in London, sie setzten nicht nur dort neue Maßstäbe. Als eine seiner modernsten, ja visionärsten gilt dabei die mit der Nummer 103. Sie hat einen Beginn, den man so schnell nicht vergisst: eine solistischen Pauken-Intrada – für das Londoner Publikum ein unerhörter Effekt und noch heute atemberaubend in ihrer Wirkung. Vor Haydn hatte bereits Johann Christian Bach in London den Ton angegeben, den »Londoner Bach« verehrte Mozart wie kaum einen anderen Komponistenkollegen – sie hatten sich 1764 ebendort kennengelernt. Nicht aus London, sondern aus der Nähe von Manchester stammt der Dirigent Ivor Bolton, in der Hauptstadt aber hat er studiert und dort in den 1980ern mit Ensembles der historischen Aufführungspraxis gearbeitet, bevor er in München, Salzburg und Madrid Karriere machte. Diesen vitalen, beherzten Zugriff aus der Welt der Alten Musik überträgt er regelmäßig auf die Welt der klassischen Sinfonieorchester – so dass nicht nur der berühmte Paukenwirbel besonderen Effekt machen wird.

Londoner Meister

Bertramstraße 8

A man who loves a woman; a woman who would rather be alone; a god who shoots arrows; and then: love. At first glance, the plot of the piece, which was composed by the youngest Bach son Johann Christian and which was shown in the Schwetzingen Palace Theater in 1774 after its London premiere, is quite simple. At second glance, it is not - at least that is the opinion of Pauline Jacob and Lisa Florentine Schmalz from the music theater and radio play collective staatsoper24, who are staging the almost forgotten piece as an audio theater together with Sebastian Bauer. Inspired by sculptures in the Schwetzingen Palace Gardens, they playfully look behind the facade of the play about Alcidoro, Dalisa and Amor, asking about the role models of Amor vincitore and about the freedom of desire. The early classical sounds of a piece that falls between two genres (cantata and one-act opera) are contrasted with contemporary sound moments by Patrick Schäfer. Singing is complemented by spoken words. Costumes reflect the imagery of the sculptures in the palace gardens. Julia Lezhneva and Maayan Licht provide seductive sounds in two virtuoso soprano parts together with the ensemble Il Gusto Barocco under Jörg Halubek. A project choir with students from the Mannheim University of Music is also involved. Alongside Johann Christian Bach's colorfully orchestrated music, you can hear breath and wind. It may be that by the end he will have swept some gods off their pedestals. Will the god of love really leave the Rococo theater as a victor?

Amor vincitore

Rococo Theater

The Munich Radio Orchestra goes on an annual tour across the Bavarian Radio broadcasting area and plays classical music in the splendid architecture of royal cities and castles. This year, original sound specialist Reinhard Goebel is on board and presents a fine selection of concert highlights from the early classical period as well as an exclusive Mozart speciality.

Classics In Bavaria

Dachau Palace

Hofgarten Ansbach

Residenzschloss Oettingen

Stadttheater

Under the direction of guest conductor Chelsea Tipton, the RSO explores a classical concert with one of Beethoven’s early Viennese masterworks, Symphony No. 2. In addition, we will perform some truly beautiful works by Mozart, Bach, and Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante featuring our RSO principal players.

Classical Connections

Jefferson Center

The wood quintet is one of the most popular chamber music ensembles and is closely associated with music making in the Czech Republic. Antonín Rejcha (Anton Reicha) devoted many of his works to the genre. This concert by the Kalabis Quintet, featuring predominantly music of the 20th century, shows that Rejcha had plenty of Czech successors.

Czech Chamber Music Society • Kalabis Quintet

Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

“Brilliant pianist” (The New York Times) Orion Weiss performs works by Stravinsky and Bach alongside Mozart’s electrifying Symphony No. 25 in this program celebrating the sounds of the Classical era.

Charlotte Symphony: Bach & Mozart

Levine Center for the Arts

We celebrate the season with a festive and charming Baroque program focused on the flute, featuring works by Telemann, Bach, and more.

Baroque Bounty

Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church

Tickets for this performance go on sale in mid-July, but you can reserve your seats today by becoming a New World Symphony subscriber. New World Symphony subscribers play a vital role in launching the careers of the world’s best young musicians and enjoy the lowest ticket prices on the best seats in the house.

Mozart + Bach

New World Center

This year’s Hofkapellen season does not begin as usual with an » unearthed « piece that has been lying dormant in an archive for 200 years and needs to be kissed awake by our musicians. But it starts with music that was played in Bonn: music from two of the most important musical families of the 18th century. When the thunderbolt boy Wolfgang Amadeus stopped off in London at the age of eight, the Mozart family befriended the youngest son of the famous St Thomas-Kantor: Johann Christian Bach was an elegant figure, a bon vivant and composer in the gallant style. But he was not the only influence on the travelling child prodigy. His eldest brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – a very contrasting, rather austere figure – was later even described by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as his » musical father «. The programme includes a festive symphony by Johann Christian Bach, a stormy cello concerto by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and – as a symphonic coupling – a four-movement version of Mozart’s magnificent Posthorn Serenade. But Johann Sebastian Bach, who is at the centre of the Bach family for us today, should not be missing from this concert: If there is enough applause, the audience will experience in the encore which lines of music by Papa Bach were found on the back of a sketch by the teenager Ludwig van B. … Music that was most likely performed in Bonn at the time – at one of the leading musical courts in Europe!

Mozart und die Bäche

Kurhaus Bad Honnef

The Redoubt

Violinist Chouchane Siranossian, who captivated the Dortmund audience in spring 2023 with Vivaldi's Four Seasons , returns with a program that also takes a look at the beginnings of Viennese Classicism. From a rarely heard violin concerto by Johann Christian Bach, the "London" Bach, who was a key source of inspiration for the eight-year-old Mozart, to the famous "Farewell Symphony", which is attributed to Haydn's "Sturm und Drang" period because of its radical expressiveness, to the perfect expression in the Kleine Nachtmusik, all phases of the Viennese Classicism era are represented in the concert.

1st Concert of Viennese Classicism: Classical Tour

Konzerthaus Dortmund

In case of wet weather this concert will be at the Theatre in Piazza IV Novembre.

Anghiari 4: ‘der Herr Ist Mit Mir’

Pieve di Santa Maria alla Sovara

Bringing this year’s Bach Festival to a close, Kristian Bezuidenhout makes his Orchestra of St. Luke’s debut as both conductor and fortepiano soloist in a program that outlines the metamorphosis of musical styles from the late Baroque into the Classical era.

Bach and Sons

Bach and Sons OSL Bach Festival 2024

Soloists from the Festival Orchestra will bring out the southern sun to banish the northern fog through the influence of Italian Baroque composers. Come for J.C. (“The London”) Bach’s Sinfonia Concertante for violin and cello, and concerti grossi by Corelli, Geminiani (arranging Corelli) and Avison (arranging Scarlatti), and stay for Handel’s delightful chamber organ concerto “The Cuckoo and the Nightingale” and more—performed by the Festival Orchestra led by Elizabeth Blumenstock.

London Fog, Italian Sunshine

St. Mark Presbyterian Church

Join us for an exquisite evening of classical music with the Camerata of Naples on Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 4:00 PM. This chamber orchestra event will be held at the serene St. John’s Episcopal Church, located at 500 Park Shore Dr., Naples, FL 34103. 

The program promises an unforgettable journey through the works of J.C. Bach, Vivaldi, and Grieg, featuring the exceptional talents of Bella Gutshtein on the harpsichord and Naples Philharmonic Concertmaster, Zachary DePue. The concert will open with J.C. Bach's Harpsichord Concerto No. 6, followed by a captivating performance of Vivaldi's Spring "La Primavera" and Summer "L’inverno" from the Four Seasons "Le quattro stagioni". After an intermission, the evening will conclude with Grieg's Holberg Suite Op. 40 for String Orchestra.

Zachary DePue, a violinist of international renown and one of the youngest concertmasters appointed in the country at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2007, brings his passion and leadership to the stage. With a rich history of performance and dedication, DePue's involvement promises a performance that Naples music lovers will not want to miss.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the beauty and brilliance of classical music performed by some of the most talented musicians in the field. Subscribe and donate to support the Camerata of Naples and ensure the continuation of magnificent musical offerings in our community.

Camerata of Naples

St. Johns Episcopal Church Naples

This performance is free and open for general seating.

Clarinet Studio Recital: students of Eric Ginsberg

Western Illinois University

Led by Kristian Bezuidenhout at the fortepiano, Juilliard415 will perform music from the Classical period: Kraus Overture to Olympie, Mozart Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major (Kristian Bezuidenhout, soloist), J.C. Bach Symphony in G minor, Op. 6, No. 6, and Mozart Symphony No. 27 in G Major. The concert will also be live streamed free via the link below.


Juilliard415

Lincoln Center

Juilliard LIVE was launched in 2021 under the leadership of President Damian Woetzel, dramatically expanding access for audiences around the world to Juilliard performances through livestreams and on-demand video. Juilliard LIVE streams nearly 700 performances each year, with new on-demand programs regularly added to the accessible library of content. 

Juilliard415 With Kristian Bezuidenhout

The Chamber Series is designed to showcase the artistry of Lansing Symphony musicians in a special setting and to introduce audiences to talented artists and classical programming. All Chamber Series concerts are performed at Molly Grove Chapel at First Presbyterian Church of Lansing.

Chamber 04: Piano Quartet

First Presbyterian Church of Lansing

A straight line leads from Bach, the musical monarch of the Baroque, to Beethoven, the composer who would reinvent the art in its entirety. Along the way, many composers made weighty contributions: Bach’s sons attained fame with more populist music; Haydn invented the symphony and string quartet; and virtually everything that Mozart created was of unearthly beauty. Riding on all this momentum, a youthful Beethoven broke from the starting gate, stunning the musical establishment with works of unimagined daring, invention, and excitement. 

Concert Program II: Bach To Beethoven

Menlo School Campus

There are some works that never fail to send a shiver down one’s spine, no matter how familiar you are with them—and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 is one such piece, balancing fragility and limpid beauty with muscularity and depth. These performances add a layer of intrigue with the delicate voice of the fortepiano, in the hands of a wizard of this instrument—Kristian Bezuidenhout.
The concerts are concluded with one of Mozart’s positively sparkling Symphony No. 33, a piece full of light, air and transparency—think of it as a glass of champagne to contrast with the rich ruby port of the earlier piano concerto.
Interspersing Mozart is an overture from Joseph Martin Kraus, nick-named the ‘Swedish Mozart’ and known for sudden twists and turns in the harmony of his music, plus a work that had great influence on the young Mozart—J.C. Bach’s innovative and appealing Symphony in G minor.

A Glassful of Mozart

First Congregational Church

First United Methodist Church

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

Richard Egarr Plays & Conducts

Benaroya Hall

Program Two • Fathers and Sons

Fisher Center at Bard

Music Director David Hayes opens the 2026–27 season with Mozart’s
Symphony No. 40 in G minor, a work of uncommon intensity and one of
the defining symphonies of the Classical era. Its expressive depth reveals
Mozart in a darker and more searching voice. The program continues with
J.C. Bach’s Symphony in G minor, Op. 6 No. 6, whose poise and vitality reflect
the style that so influenced the young Mozart. Closing the program is
Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, a tribute to the Classical
tradition and especially to Mozart. Light in texture and rich in melody, it
shows the young Schubert writing with clarity, elegance, and unmistakable
lyricism

Mozart Symphony No. 40

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Philadelphia Film Society Center

With appearances for the Mozart Society of America and at many UK venues, including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, St George’s Bristol, Sinfonia Smith Square, Hatchlands Park and Edinburgh’s Russell Collection.

Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins

Smith Square Hall

Crystal-clear rhythmic precision and eloquence of expression are among the distinguishing hallmarks of Angela Hewitt’s pianism. She joins the Basel Chamber Orchestra and its charismatic director, Baptiste Lopez, in concertos by Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach. Her 2005 recording of the latter was described as ‘an absolute joy’ by Gramophone, while The Times observed how her ‘sense of phrase is masterful … the statements have regal import under the authoritative hands of this queen of keyboard playing’.

Angela Hewitt director, piano; Basel Chamber Orchestra; Baptiste Lopez director, violin

Wigmore Hall

Discover the elegance and energy of the Classical era in this illuminating programme tracing the evolution of the symphony. Rachel Podger directs from the violin, opening with JC Bach’s Overture from Amadis de Gaule, music that charmed audiences and influenced a young Mozart. From there, we journey to Haydn’s Symphony No.99, a work of wit and sophistication that showcases the composer’s mastery of orchestral colour. The programme culminates in Beethoven’s Symphony No.1, a bold debut that hints at the revolutionary spirit to come.

Classical Revolution

City Halls & Old Fruitmarket

Aberdeen Music Hall

The Queen's Hall

With the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750, shortly after he completed his Musical Offering, the Baroque era began transitioning to the Classical style. Among its leaders were Bach’s immensely talented sons, whose works in this program pay respect to tradition while establishing a fresh, popular musical aesthetic.

Bach and Sons: Passing the Torch

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

With the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750, shortly after he completed his Musical Offering, the Baroque era began transitioning to the Classical style. Among its leaders were Bach’s immensely talented sons, whose works in this program pay respect to tradition while establishing a fresh, popular musical aesthetic. 

Kansas City, MO

Folly Theater

Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral

Music played a crucial role in the Protestant Reformation, promoting congregational hymn singing and enhancing the rituals of worship with rousing festive melodies. John Butt and the Dunedin Consort offer a rich taste of works written to celebrate Christ’s birth, embracing sonorous rarities by Rosenmüller, Geist and Theile, the latter graced by a delightful lullaby, and a rousing instrumental Intrada by Samuel Scheidt, Chapel Master to the Margrave of Brandenburg. They close with JS Bach’s majestic cantata Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV61, composed in 1714 for the first Sunday in Advent.

Dunedin Consort; John Butt director; Zoë Brookshaw soprano; Joanna Songi soprano; Sarah Anne Champion alto; Guy Cutting tenor; Chris Webb bass

Step into the gentle glow of candlelight and experience the true spirit of the season with Candlelit Carols, a heartwarming concert of music at the Cadogan Hall, London.

This enchanting concert blends uplifting carols and cherished seasonal classics in a beautifully staged setting. Let the elegance of the Mozart Festival Orchestra transport you with a festive programme.

Candlelit Carols

Cadogan Hall

This evening's programme takes us to the late 18th century, where the Classical style had become established and the music of its finest proponents – among them Mozart, Gluck and J. C. Bach – was already uniting clarity of form with a quite extraordinary capacity for emotional depth. At the core of the evening stands outstanding British countertenor Hugh Cutting, whose remarkable vocal artistry and stylistic sensitivity have already established him as one of the most compelling musicians of his generation. Together with Emmanuel Villaume, he guides us through an evening of some of the most exquisite arias of that period.

Composer

Johann Christian Bach

Events

Upcoming events

Aug 8, 2026

Program Two • Fathers and Sons · Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College

25 - 27 Sep, 2026

Mozart Symphony No. 40 · Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia

Nov 4, 2026

Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins · Sinfonia Smith Square

Nov 15, 2026

Angela Hewitt director, piano; Basel Chamber Orchestra; Baptiste Lopez director, violin · Wigmore Hall

10 - 12 Dec, 2026

Classical Revolution · Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Past events

Jun 23, 2026

Jean Rondeau and The Bach Dynasty · Orchestra of St. Luke's

Jun 18, 2026

Haydn in London · Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras

About

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