The internationally-renowned Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) and the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance are pleased to announce the 2018 lineup of concerts and artists. The upcoming season, which runs June 29 through July 14, continues the long-standing tradition of presenting the finest choral-orchestral works, extraordinary new music, illuminating lectures, and captivating community events. The Festival will be held in Eugene, with events at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, historic Beall Concert Hall on the University of Oregon campus, and local churches.
The Festival begins with the “imperishable genius” (NPR) of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. The concert includes a Bach orchestral suite and features Portland Baroque Orchestra artistic director and OBF Favorite, Monica Huggett. A portion of the all-Bach evening will be conducted by Seattle Baroque Orchestra artistic director, Alexander Weimann. The opening weekend also includes the “cool…skilled and spirited” (The Washington Post) Imani Winds, and a Sunday matinee concert highlighting the OBF Baroque Orchestra.
Following last year’s sold out performance, Grammy-winning organist Paul Jacobs returns to OBF with another all-Bach recital. Jacobs will also showcase his skills alongside the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy as they present Chichester Psalms in honor of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday.
Additionally, OBF is honored to present the world premiere of The Passion of Yeshua by Richard Danielpour – conducted by JoAnn Falletta – and the Pacific Northwest premiere of Piano Concerto No. 3 by Philip Glass, performed by the “brilliant” (The New Yorker) Simone Dinnerstein. Glass, himself, will treat audiences to “An Evening of Music and Conversation” on July 11, moderated by nationally syndicated KWAX radio personality Peter van de Graaff.
The 2018 Festival will also include visits from two remarkable crossover acts. On July 7th, The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass will present a Saturday evening performance that includes music from Bach, Bernstein, John Philip Sousa, Handel, and Elvis, and on July 13th the electrifying string trio Simply Three will blend old-school training with new sound and captivate audiences with high-octane performances of music from Gershwin to Adele, and Ed Sheeran to Michael Jackson.
The Festival schedule rounds-out with an evening of Mozart, performances from the elite Berwick Academy for Historically Informed Performance, and the annual Discovery Series, which will focus on two of Bach’s Cantatas. The Festival comes to an end with Mendelssohn’s beautiful and iconic oratorio, the “exhilarating” (Chicago Tribune) Elijah, led by acclaimed American conductor, John Nelson.
During the Festival, audiences will enjoy vocal performances from operatic stars Nicholas Phan, Nicole Cabell, J’Nai Bridges, Sarah Shafer, and Kenneth Overton, amongst others.
Additional artists and events will be announced in the coming weeks. Exclusive presale tickets are available beginning February 1, and tickets go on sale to the general public in early May.