Welcome by Jonathan Sternberg, Artistic Director

Conductors from Helmuth Rilling to Joshua Rifkin, ensembles from the St. Thomas Boys Choir Leipzig to the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, scholars from Christoph Wolff to Michael Marrisen, instrumentalists from Gustav Leonhardt to Matt Haimovitz, and singers from Julianne Baird to Thomas Quasthoff have enriched the Bach Festival of Philadelphia.

As one of the largest Baroque music events in North America, our mission is to be a leader in the community, locally and globally, by presenting performances of the highest artistic quality; to develop successful new vehicles – educational, social, technological and spiritual - for presenting Johann Sebastian Bach’s music; and to attract and enlighten enthusiastic, loyal, and diverse audiences from around the world.

Founded by the late Michael Korn in 1976, the Bach Festival has given numerous landmark performances with its former ensembles in residence, the Philadelphia Singers and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. The Bach Festival is currently under the artistic leadership of Maestro Jonathan Sternberg who conducted one of the very first recordings ever of JS Bach’s cantatas in 1950.

With that we wish you a wonderful season with us and hope to meet you soon at our concerts.

Yours Most Sincerely,

Jonathan Sternberg