“That’s like asking me to pick my favorite child,” says Nafziger, who relishes the years-long process that goes into the programming, repertoire and selection and invitation of featured artists. “Each year, the music changes and that means the festival stays new and exciting in different ways for different audiences. Every year, some will say, ‘This is the best one ever,’ and that freshness is exciting.”

The week-long event will be June 14-21 on the 91����Ƶ campus, where both Nafziger and executive director are senior members of the music faculty.

The festival, which draws an estimated 4,000 people, is named in honor of Johann Sebastian Bach, a German composer born in 1685, but showcases an ever-changing repertoire of classical music from different eras.

“The festival tagline is ‘Bach is just the beginning,’” Adams said, “and the diversity within our concerts truly reflects that.”

Three concerts and more

The June 14 opening concert showcases five instrumental concertos, all composed by Bach.

Concert 2 features works by Haydn, including Symphony No. 31 in D Major (Hornsignal), Concerto No. 4 in D Major for Harpsichord with ‘95, Te Deum with the Festival Choir, and Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major.

Concert 3 features music by African-American composers Aldophus Hailstork, William Grant Still and Edmund Thornton Jenkins, including a rare performance of Charlestonia, one of the first compositions in which American black music themes are mixed with the European concert tradition. A suite from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, set in the black community of Charleston, concludes the theme. Soprano and baritone are the soloists, joined by the choir.

A Leipzig service, honoring Bach’s service as a church musician, brings the festival to a conclusion on Sunday, June 21. The service includes organ music, hymn singing, a cantata and other music for choir, soloists and orchestra, with a homily by . A is offered afterwards.

Additional featured artists include , trumpet; , flute; , oboe; and , violin; , viola; , organ; , countertenor; and , tenor.

Smaller ensembles and a more informal style are offered through the week at the noon chamber music concerts at First Presbyterian Church. No tickets are required; a $5 donation is suggested.

Musicians enjoy fellowship, hospitality

The Festival Orchestra includes professional musicians from around the country, many of whom return year after year. One bass trombonist annually drives from Florida and stays with the same local host, Nafziger said. “There’s not a huge call for bass trombonists, so he plays in two or three pieces, but stays for the whole week… The fellowship and hospitality here are an important part of why the festival is so successful.”

When musicians want to take a festival season off, they usually ask for “a leave of absence,” Nafziger said. “We don’t have that, but what they mean is, ‘Save my seat so I can come back the next time.’”

Another source of energy is limited rehearsal time, Nafziger says. Musicians arrive and rehearse during the first weekend of the festival, achieving a high standard of quality in a short period of time.

“It’s rewarding to me every year how much work you can do if you clear everything away in your life but what you love doing,” he said. “It’s an exhilarating and exhausting 10 days.”

While professional musicians perform with the Festival Orchestra, the Festival Choir, a volunteer ensemble, allows both professional and amateur vocalists to perform celebrated works. Musicians also come into Harrisonburg for the , a five-day concurrent workshop with masterclasses and coaching sessions in harpsichord, violin, viola da gamba, recorder, lute, and vocal performance.

Tickets

Three-concert ticket packages cost $65 for adults; $55 for seniors ages 65 and older, and $15 for youth ages 22 and younger.

Advance single tickets cost $27 for adults; $22 for seniors and $5 for youth; tickets cost $2 more at the door.

Tickets for groups of 12 or larger cost $22 for adults; $17 for seniors and $5 for youth.

Donations collected for Leipzig and noon chamber music series.

Tickets may be purchased at the door, or by calling 432-4582.

Schedule of Events

• Concert 1: 3 p.m. June 14 at the Lehman Auditorium on 91����Ƶ campus.
• Concert 2: 7:30 p.m. June 19 at the Lehman Auditorium.
• Concert 3: 7:30 p.m. June 20 at the Lehman Auditorium.
• Noon Chamber Music Series: 12 p.m. June 15-20 at the First Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg.
• Leipzig Service: 10 a.m. June 21 at the Lehman Auditorium.
• Father’s Day Brunch following the Leipzig service June 21 in the Northlawn Dining Hall. Make reservations by June 15.

One of the soloists, Canadian bass Daniel Lichti, sang in the first performance of Elijah at the Bach festival in 1995. This year’s Elijah is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, in Lehman Auditorium.

The oratorio about the Old Testament prophet will be conducted by , a long-time 91����Ƶ professor who helped establish the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival in 1992.

The festival honors the music of prolific 18th-century German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as works by other composers.

Among them this year is Mendelssohn, another German composer who worked a century after Bach. He wrote Elijah for the 1846 Birmingham Music Festival in England, where it premiered to an enthusiastic audience and glowing reviews.

Lichti, singing the title role in Elijah, has established himself as one of Canada’s finest bass-baritones, performing with many of North America’s major orchestras and choirs. He appears regularly at festivals and performs oratorio and opera internationally.

This year, he is celebrating 40 years of professional performing with concerts in Canada, the United States and Europe. His debut was in an opera in 1974 at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. Lichti is a voice professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. During a recent sabbatical from his teaching, he performed Franz Schubert’s epic Winterreise in Paris, Vienna and Lyon.

The other soloists for Elijah this year at 91����Ƶ are soprano Sharla Nafziger (no relation to Ken J. Nafziger), who performs throughout her native Canada and the United States; mezzo-soprano Barbara Rearick, a performer who teaches voice at Princeton University; and tenor Kenneth Gayle, the producing director for an innovative musical non-profit organization in Houston.

While the orchestra is made up of professionals invited to the festival, the choir is composed of volunteers from near and far. (Anyone interested in singing in this year’s choir should contact at mathewsl@emu.edu.)

The 2014 festival begins on Sunday, June 8, at 3 p.m., with organist Marvin Mills performing Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in A Minor.” That afternoon’s concert will also feature music by composers like Handel, Rameau, Telemann, Zelenka and Bach’s son, C.P.E. Bach.

“In our 20^th season, we unveiled a new tag line – ‘Bach is just the beginning’ – as a way of understanding more completely what this Bach festival is all about,” said Ken J. Nafziger.

From June 9-14, the festival includes daily noon chamber music concerts at First Presbyterian Church on Court Square in Harrisonburg. No tickets are required, but donations are requested at the door. A complete schedule is available on the .

The noon concert on Monday, June 9, will feature the faculty of the annual , which is part of the Bach festival. The academy, held June 8-14, offers solo master classes and ensemble coaching by internationally acclaimed artists Arthur Haas, harpsichord; Martha McGaughey, viola da gamba; and Linda Quan, baroque violin.

A second major concert on Friday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. will feature the festival orchestra performing two of Bach’s cantatas and music by Maurice Ravel. Emma Resmini, an acclaimed 14-year-old flutist from Fairfax, Va., will also play a concerto by Jacques Ibert.

Yet another component to the festival is the Road Scholar Program, which offers classes throughout the United States. From June 11 to 15, participants will enjoy the history and culture of the Shenandoah Valley while attending the festival’s concerts and interacting with the musicians, conductor and musical scholars. More information is available from .

On Sunday, June 15, at 10 a.m., Nafziger will lead the annual Leipzig service, inspired by the worship services at Bach’s church in Germany. He will be joined by the festival orchestra and choir as well as the featured vocal soloists and organist Marvin Mills. The homily will be delivered by Lara Steinel, music director at a progressive Jewish congregation – Kol Ami – in Kansas City, Mo.

The final event of the festival is a Father’s Day brunch in 91����Ƶ’s Northlawn dining hall. must be made by June 1.

Advance tickets to the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival are available at the 91����Ƶ box office – 540-432-4582 or-. They will also be available at the door at slightly higher prices.

For more details, visit .����