Artistic Director

No festival would be complete without a generous sampling of Bach’s matchless vocal music, and our final concert How Brightly Shines will not disappoint. We’ll hear two settings of the beautiful chorale “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” (“How brightly shines the Morningstar”), one by Johann Kuhnau, Bach’s predecessor at the Thomas Kirche, and one by Bach himself. The artistry of guest soloist Yeree Suh will be featured in several arias, and there will be other cantatas to bring the festival to a joyous conclusion - not to be missed!

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How Brightly Shines

Eastminster United Church

Following a highly acclaimed debut at last year’s festival, we are pleased to present our Kaffeehaus concert again this year. Join us in a relaxed café setting as we regale you with a complete performance of Bach’s Hunt Cantata, including the famous aria “Sheep may safely graze,” together with movements from Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. We are also looking forward to presenting guest soloist Yeree Suh, the noted soprano now established in Stuttgart, in her Toronto Bach Festival debut. The spacious acoustic of the Church of the Holy Trinity (by the CF Toronto Eaton Centre) will provide an excellent location for our recreation of Zimmermann’s Leipzig coffee house, and the beloved Canadian actor R.H. Thomson will once again preside as Herr Zimmermann.

Kaffeehaus

Church of the Holy Trinity, Toronto

The festival will open with The Game of Threes, as we welcome guest violin soloist and leader Adrian Butterfield to our stage. The concert will feature the magnificent Concerto for Three Violins, as well as the Concerto in A minor for solo violin, and will also examine some composers who influenced Bach, including Albinoni and Vivaldi. The concert will conclude with the masterful Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, a work in which Bach takes the concept of a triple concerto to the next level, as he writes for three groups of three instruments (violins, violas, and cellos), each with an independent part.

The Game of Threes

We are pleased to welcome this year’s guest artist, harpsichordist Steven Devine, as he makes his Toronto Bach Festival debut in one of Bach’s most striking concertos, the powerful Concerto in D minor for harpsichord. The program, taking place downtown Toronto at the beautiful Church of the Holy Trinity, will also include the rarely performed Concerto in C major for two harpsichords, featuring Mr. Devine alongside our own Christopher Bagan. Rounding out the evening will be the beloved Concerto in E major for violin, featuring festival concertmaster Julia Wedman, and a new transcription of Bach’s Italian Concerto, arranged and performed by Artistic Director John Abberger.

John Abberger

Artistic Director

Events

Past events

May 26, 2024

How Brightly Shines · Toronto Bach Festival

May 25, 2024

Kaffeehaus · Toronto Bach Festival

Future and recently performed repertoire

Oboe in Italian Concerto in F Major by Bach

Toronto Bach Festival

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