The Oregon Bach Festival is an incredible annual event in Oregon. The international music festival runs from June 29 — July 15 and takes place in Eugene, Portland and surrounding cities. It is a world-class celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach and his musical descendents.
The festival packs nearly 60 events into 18 days, with musicians from around the world and audiences across the country. The OBF is a program connected to the University of Oregon and especially emphasizes learning and teaching. There are many musical opportunities at every level throughout the two weeks.
The focal point is, of course, the performances. There are also numerous concerts at various venues in Eugene and Portland. The festival also generates individual concerts in Ashland, Astoria, Bend, Corvallis and Lincoln City. In Eugene, most of the events are at the Hult Center or the University of Oregon’s School of Music and Dance.
The OBF’s founding conductor, Helmuth Rilling,@@checked@@ will be retiring after next year’s festival, so it is one of your last chances to see this conducting legend. Rilling, one of the world’s foremost Bach interpreters, is from Stuttgart, Germany, and has been with the Bach festival since its inception in 1970.
Opening night — taking place on June 29 in Eugene and June 30 in Portland — will feature rockstar violinist Joshua Bell and founding conductor Rilling. They will be performing Felix Mendelssohn’s@@checked@@ elegant music, which is truly accessible for all ears.
The festival is a mix of musicians, students and community members, all coming together for their love of music and Bach. The festival seamlessly incorporates Bach’s work with other classical music as well as modern music. There is truly something for everyone.
The OBF Director of Communications George Evano has been working with the festival for 20 years. He has seen it grow and change over the years, but ultimately, the festival’s powerful sentiment remains unchanged.
“The music, the friendliness, the joy seems to take over the town, and I think it’s a wonderful thing,” Evano said.
For the first time, the OBF is taking over Cuthbert Amphitheater@@checked@@, a massive outdoor stage in Eugene’s popular Alton Baker Park. Pink Martini will be performing with guest vocalist Storm Large on July 1.
Another powerful performance that is not to be missed is “A Child of Our Time.” This moving concert combines a joyous mass by J.S. Bach, written in the early 1700s, and a choral work composed by Michael Tippett@@checked@@ at the start of World War II. It integrates wonderful orchestrated spirituals in its statement against the war.
If you’re on a budget, there are free opportunities at the festival. On July 2 at 4:30 p.m., nearly 100 singers from the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy@@checked@@ will perform a free public concert at the Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend. That same day at noon, Central Lutheran Church presents a free concert performed on its Brombaugh organ.
Student tickets are available at the low price of $10 for nearly every concert. Tickets for adults, seniors and community members range from $10 – $67.
To learn more, visit oregonbachfestival.com.