The Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) award will support general operations of the 34th annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, which will be held in June 2026.

Les Helmuth, interim manager of the SVBF, said this marks the first time the festival has received an NEA grant. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing to be recognized by the NEA for the quality of the artists and other key individuals involved in creating great music for the Shenandoah Valley,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 truly an honor to be the recipient of an NEA grant.鈥�

Bach Festival Artistic Director and 91短视频 Music Program Director David Berry noted that receiving support from the NEA has long been a prestigious mark of distinction for any arts organization. “We’re grateful the NEA has chosen to support the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival as we celebrate our 34th year next June,” he said. “This honor speaks to how special the festival truly is and its great legacy of beautiful music-making.”

Amanda Gookin, previous executive director of the SVBF, wrote and applied for the GAP grant. It is one of more than 1,100 GAP awards nationwide, totaling more than $31.8 million, announced by the NEA on Tuesday.

鈥淭he NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country鈥檚 vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,鈥� said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. 鈥淚t is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including 91短视频鈥檚 Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival.鈥�

91短视频 the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival

The annual weeklong summer festival presents vibrant performances on the 91短视频 campus and in Downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia, by Bach Festival Musicians and guest artists, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra, Baroque Academy Faculty, and Festival Choir. Learn more at:

91短视频 the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. Its Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) provides expansive funding opportunities to strengthen the nation鈥檚 arts and cultural ecosystem, including opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector.

91短视频鈥檚 piano virtuoso David Berry is gathering his friends for a celebration of music and community. And, he鈥檚 bringing along a special guest: a Grammy Award-winning violinist who鈥檚 performed in sold-out stadiums with Beyonc茅 and Jay-Z.

The David Berry and Friends concert, back by popular demand for a third straight year, returns to Martin Chapel on Friday, March 15, at 7 p.m. The concert is free to attend and open to the public. A suggested $10 donation can be made online . 

Berry, music program director at 91短视频 as well as the night鈥檚 featured pianist, said the purpose of the concert is to bring members of the community together for a diverse repertoire of classical, jazz, soul, spirituals and gospel music. 

鈥淎ll of these styles have been a part of my life,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd I鈥檒l be performing with people I鈥檝e gotten to know from different corners of our community.鈥�

Who鈥檚 on stage

The talented artists joining Berry on stage include: Grammy-nominated cellist Amanda Gookin, saxophonist Josh Dove, drummer and 91短视频 music alum Joseph Harder, bassist Joseph Nichols, multi-genre singers Michael Richardson and Devonte Garcia, actress Andre谩 Bellamore, and special guest artist, violinist Lady Jess.

During the concert, Berry will share stories of how he knows the musicians performing with him. For example, Dove is the owner of , a Harrisonburg, Virginia, store that helped Berry move a piano into his home.

Berry and have performed together in New York City with the Harlem Chamber Players. The violinist is a soloing member of Beyonc茅鈥檚 band and joined the Single Ladies singer and Jay-Z during their On The Run II tour in 2018. She also performed with Beyonc茅 at the Coachella festival (2018) and appeared in the Netflix concert film Homecoming (2019). Lady Jess has played with The Roots on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and collaborated with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Hans Zimmer 鈥� arranging and recording with the latter for the live-action The Lion King soundtrack.

Gookin is the executive director of the and works with Berry, its artistic director, to plan the annual weeklong event. Her cello music has been described as 鈥渢he highest level of artistry鈥� () and she鈥檚 been praised for her 鈥渆xpert technical work鈥� (The Strad).

Both of the night鈥檚 vocalists are students at James Madison University. Berry described Richardson’s voice as big, booming and baritone, and Garcia’s as 鈥渁mazing and soulful.鈥�

What to expect

The concert will feature works ranging from Antonin Dvo艡谩k鈥檚 Piano Trio No. 3 in F-minor, Op. 65, to soulful classics by Alicia Keys and Walter Hawkins.

Dvo艡谩k was a Czech composer from the 19th century best known for his “New World Symphony.” Berry described the piece he’ll be playing with Gookin and Lady Jess as “a full journey.鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 a classical masterwork of chamber music,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 influenced by a love of Bohemian folk music.鈥�

Berry said Lady Jess will meet with 91短视频 music students the day before the concert and talk to them about pursuing a career in music. In a recent about the concert, Lady Jess said she was 鈥渧ery excited to meet these students and to collaborate with some incredible artists.鈥�

This event will be livestreamed on the Facebook page.

The Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival season kicks off with the “Spring Into Bach” virtual concert on April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Eight artists hailing from the valley to New York City will perform Bach, Americana, original storytelling, and everything in between. Read more about the artists below.

The event will be emceed by Kimberlea Daggy, the host of “All Things Considered” on WMRA, the NPR news station for Charlottesville and the Shenandoah Valley. Daggy also hosts “Airplay,” a program highlighting local, classical musicians and ensembles on WEMC, Harrisonburg鈥檚 all-classical station.

Tickets are $15, and pre-registration is required by 4 p.m. the day of the concert.

“I鈥檓 thrilled to bring these amazing artists together for an intimate evening of conversation, spoken word, and music,” said Amanda Gookin, executive director of the festival. “The sunny side of virtual performance is it provides wider access for people to attend events all over the world. Each of these inspiring artists exude an incredible level of creativity, artistry, and passion in their work. I hope many viewers in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond will tune in 鈥� this is an event not to miss!”

This exhibition also features to benefit the Bach Festival that will be open from April 26 to May 10. Available items include handcrafted furniture, a portrait photography session, massages, and a week-long stay at an arts-and-recreation retreat in upstate New York. 

The featured artists are:

• , violist. Arnold is the director of artistic planning and orchestral operations of the Richmond Symphony. Previously, she spent 14 years playing viola with the Oregon Symphony in Portland, where she also taught private lessons and led the Oregon American String Teachers Association.
• Americana duo. Singer Maria Clymer and guitarist Christopher Kurtz were 2019 recipients of the Advancing the Arts Creative Inspirations grant from the Arts Council of the Valley.
• cellist. Elliott is a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and has soloed with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and many more. He also performed at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 
• poet. Gabbin is the founder and executive director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, the first and only academic center devoted to Black poetry. She is also a professor of English at James Madison University, founder and organizer of the Wintergreen Women Writers’ Collective, and owner of the 150 Franklin Street Gallery.
• composer. Guinivan’s music has been performed across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He has received commissions from Chamber Music America, the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, New York Youth Symphony, and many more. He was a founding member of the GRAMMY-nominated Los Angeles Percussion Quartet.
• pianist. Li has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center鈥檚 Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and many other notable venues across the globe. Her many awards include the 2017 New York Concert Artists Worldwide Debut Audition, Astral Artist鈥檚 2016 National Auditions, the Grieg International Competition in Norway, and the unanimous 1st Prize at the Concours Musical de France.
• author. Showalter published her first book, a memoir titled Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World in 2013. Her second, The Mindful Grandparent: The Art of Loving Our Children’s Children, is forthcoming in May 2022. Previously, Showalter was a professor of English and then president at Goshen College, and vice president of programs at The Fetzer Institute.
• violinist. Tekalli is a top-prize winner of the Seoul International Music Competition, and a prize winner in the Sendai International Music Competition, International Violin Competition 鈥淩udolfo Lipizer Prize,鈥� and Henryk Szeryng Music Festival. He has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia.

A new series of multifaceted music colloquia kicks off at 91短视频 this semester. The series brings in a flutist from the Houston Symphony, a performance psychologist from Juilliard, and a Carnatic musician-turned-neuroscientist.

Each presentation will be livestreamed at 12:20 p.m. on .听

“Since everything is virtual, it is a wonderful opportunity to bring many more great artists from around the nation and even around the globe to our students,” said Professor David Berry, director of the music department. “It is not every year that we can bring such a diverse array of top-rate artists and presenters to our students in one semester.”

The colloquia will include a mix of students performing for and learning from the guest artists, interviews, and lectures. 

“We have found these combined modes of presentation to be very engaging for everyone no matter the spectators’ area of musical specialty,” Berry said.

• Feb. 25 鈥� , a flutist with the Houston Symphony, the Greenbriar Consortium, the Ritz Chamber Players, and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra. “Ms. Dines is an excellent orchestral and chamber musician, with a wealth of experience,” Berry said. Her colloquium will include an interview and a masterclass, in which Dines will coach 91短视频 sophomore Samuel Soste-Taffur following his flute performance.听
• March 25 鈥� , PhD, a performance psychologist, Juilliard professor, and violinist. Kageyama’s presentation will focus on dealing with performance anxiety and performing at one’s best under pressure. Berry said he “has become one of the most respected and sought-after experts in the field of performance psychology for musicians.”
• April 15 鈥撎�, PhD, an Indian Carnatic classical musician and neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts General Hospital. Navaratna “is a true cultural entrepreneur who combines expertise in music and medicine,” Berry said. She’ll speak on her career and some of the musical traditions of India.
• Cellist Amanda Gookin, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, began the series in early February.

The reins of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival at 91短视频 (91短视频) have been passed to the very talented hands of a new leader 鈥� , a Grammy-nominated cellist, educator, and activist. Gookin replaces David McCormick, who served as the festival’s executive director for the last four years, and recently accepted the directorship of the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival. 

Coming from New York City, Gookin directs the new music ensemble at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music and teaches at the New School College of Performing Arts. She is also the founder of PUBLIQuartet 鈥� a string quartet she performed with for 10 years. The group was nominated for a in January 2020.

“Amanda is both an accomplished musical artist and a proven arts administrator, and she has demonstrated commitment to the important role that music can play in social and community development,” said Provost Fred Kniss. “This combination of qualities makes her an ideal leader for the next chapter in the Bach Festival.”

While Gookin’s accolade-studded career has given her many different roles, she said she doesn’t see a separation between her performance, work in education, and activism.

“In my musical life as a cellist, I’m very much involved in musical activism: upholding values of equity, justice and inclusion in my work, which then is put into my teaching when I talk to students about their value systems and the history of classical music and contemporary music,” Gookin said.

Musical activism, to her, means “ensuring everyone’s voice is heard, understanding power structures, and creating a community around art and activism that gets everybody involved in the artistic process.

While classical music was born of white European composers, Gookin explained that “there is a lot of music that has been left out of the history books, like music by women, LGBTQ+,听and Black composers, and it’s overdue to give voice to them.” As part of this musical activism, Gookin founded the Forward Music Project in 2015. It began, she said, as a solo cello project. She commissioned seven women to write music for her to perform in whatever style the composers chose.

She received compositions that blurred the line between classical performance and performance art: “visceral stories” that included spoken word, acting, or playing percussion with her feet. 

“I love to perform all kinds of music,” Gookin said, but she particularly enjoys “premiering a work that nobody’s heard before.鈥�

Gookin brings that same mold-breaking energy to the Bach Festival, scheduled for June 13-20, 2021. While the pandemic, most likely, will not be entirely behind us next summer, she has creative ideas about presenting a safe and engaging festival.

“I’m really up for this challenge,” she said. “I think it’s going to be really exciting, because if the pandemic has done anything, it’s encouraged people to become innovative in the way they present music.”