Willis will hold a lecture and workshop from 2 – 4 p.m., Saturday with masterclass, high school and college students. Following the workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to play the fortepiano, a precursor to the modern grand piano. Admission is free for all students, 91短视频 faculty and staff and Harrisonburg Music Teacher’s Association members. All others are $15.

At 7:30 p.m., Saturday, the 91短视频 faculty artists series will present Willis an in evening concert in Martin Chapel. Willis will play a five-octave fortepiano in the Viennese tradition.聽 Made in Philadelphia in 1986 by Vincent Dulin, it is a replica of a fortepiano made in Vienna circa 1790 by Anton Walter.

On a similar Walter fortepiano, Mozart premiered his greatest concertos in Vienna between 1784 and 1786. This will provide a unique opportunity to hear the music of Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn on an early piano and to learn why this type of instrument was suited to the music.

Admission is free. Donations are encouraged to support the 91短视频 music scholarship fund.

Noted for his mastery of early keyboard instruments, Willis has performed across the United States and abroad on pianos of every period. His recording of Beethoven鈥檚 Hammerklavier Sonata appears on Claves label. It is part of the first Beethoven sonata cycle on period instruments. Other recordings by Willis of Schubert Lieder and Rossini are available on Vox, Newport Classics and Albany records.

Willis is director of the University of North Carolina Greensboro focus on piano literature and received a DMA from Cornell University. He has performed with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, the Mozart Society of Philadelphia and the Apollo Ensemble.

For more information on the workshop or concert call 540-432-4226.

Two classical giants will meet on the Lehman Auditorium stage at 91短视频, not to compete against but to complement each other at the 19th annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, June 12-19, 2011.

The glorious works of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)) will fill the air throughout the week under the baton of Dr. Kenneth Nafziger, artistic director and conductor.

The festival will open 3 p.m. Sunday, June 12 with four concertos – Bach鈥檚 鈥淐oncerto for Oboe, Violin and Strings in C Minor,鈥� 鈥淐oncerto for Cello and Orchestra in C Major鈥� by Haydn, 鈥淪infonia Concertante, K. 297鈥� by Mozart, and Concerto No. 4 for Piano and Orchestra in G Major, Op. 58鈥� by Beethoven. All featured soloists are principal players from the festival orchestra except for the Beethoven concerto with Nicol谩s Pell贸n, currently on the faculty of the International School of Music in Bethesda, Md.

The second major festival concert, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 17, features Menotti鈥檚 鈥淭he Telephone,鈥� a funny one-act opera about Ben, Lucy and a telephone that gets in the way of Ben being able to ask Lucy to marry him. Soloists are Sharla Nafziger from New York and Tom Jones from Boston, both featured artists in previous seasons.

Also on the same program will be Bach鈥檚 鈥淥rchestral Suite No. 4 in D Major鈥� and his 鈥淐antata No. 49鈥� along with Mozart鈥檚 鈥淪ymphony No. 29 in A Major, K.201.鈥�

The third festival concert, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 18, features an all-Mozart repertoire with the 鈥淕reat Mass in C Minor鈥� for chorus, soloists and orchestra and the overture and act 2 from 鈥淭he Marriage of Figaro鈥� with soloists and orchestra.

Again this year, festival musicians will perform music from all eras and many composers in small ensemble settings at noon Monday through Saturday at Asbury United Methodist Church, 205 S. Main St. Admission is free; donations are encouraged.

A high point of the Bach Festival for many each year is the Leipzig Service 10 a.m. Sunday, June 19, a recreation of an 18th century worship service at St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Leipzig, Germany, where Bach was cantor and composed a cantata for each week鈥檚 service.

Margaret Foth, former radio program speaker, is homilist for the Leipzig service. The orchestra and choir will perform Bach鈥檚 鈥淐antata #172鈥� with soloists Sharla Nafziger, Carrie Stevens, Daniel Buchanan and Tom Jones. Marvin Mills, organist, will play Mozart鈥檚 鈥淐hurch Sonata #15″ as part of the service.

As part of the Bach Festival, the faculty for the Virginia Baroque Performance Academy – Arthur Haas,聽 Martha McGaughey and Linda Quan – will play on period instruments, demonstrating the Baroque style and ornamentation typical at the time of Bach in a recital 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 13, at Asbury United Methodist Church. They will also instruct participants all week on how to play music in the style of that era.

鈥淭he mission of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival is to honor the creative spirit of Johann Sebastian Bach with first-rate performances for an ever widening audience,鈥� said Mary Kay Adams, Bach Festival coordinator and principal flutist in the festival orchestra.

鈥淓ach year鈥檚 program pairs the music of Bach with music of other composers, eras, or styles, so that no two festivals are ever the same,鈥澛� Adams noted. 鈥淭here will always be new surprises awaiting the audience at each festival concert.鈥�

Advance tickets are available at the 91短视频 Box Office, 540-432-4582 or may be purchased on line at emu.edu/bach/tickets. They will also be available at the door at slightly higher prices.

The complete program for the week is available on line at . For other questions, call 540-432-4652 or email: bach@emu.edu.