It’s been undeniable for generations since Mendelssohn’s revival almost 200 years ago: there’s no holding Bach. His music engages us in the most unexpected and profound ways. Any way you look at it—craftsmanship, harmonic unfolding, melodic beauty and intent—Bach’s legacy continues to affect the ways we hear and create music today.

The 2018 Chelsea Music Festival’s Opening Night launches nine days of celebration around the 333rd birthday of J.S. Bach and his influence on generations of musicians, composers, thinkers, worshippers, artists & listeners. Alongside Bach‘s 5th Brandenburg Concerto, the program features reflections and arrangements on Bach by Sofia Gubaidulina and Max Reger, as well as original works by 2018 Composer-in-Residence Aaron Jay Kernis.
This evening’s concert concludes with a themed reception by Chef Eric Takahashi where audience members can mingle with Festival artists

PROGRAM
Bach/Tochio Allegro from Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971
Gubaidulina Reflections on B-A-C-H
Bach/Reger Prelude & Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543 for four hands
Kernis Superstar Etude No. 2
Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050
Kernis Musica Celestis for string orchestra (1990)
Bach Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068

Featuring
Ensemble-in-Residence | Barkada Quartet
Flute | Kayla Burggraf
Violin | Nigel Armstrong, Elizabeth Beck, Nicholas DiEugenio, Chloe Fedor, Jonathan Ong, Evelyn Petcher, Dorothy Ro, Jocelyn Zhu
Viola | Will Frampton, Jeremy Kienbaum, Jesus Rodolfo Rodriguez, Abigail Rojansky
Cello | Jonathan Dormond, Angela Lee, Joseph Lee
Double Bass | Mariya Andonova, Kaden Henderson, Luke Stence
Continuo | Robert Fleitz
Piano | Dimitri Dover, Robert Fleitz, Andrea Lam, Melinda Lee Masur
Conductor | Ken-David Masur