What We Do

Berkshire Bach engages and enriches contemporary audiences with a broad perspective on the unique works of J. S. Bach, his predecessors and followers.  Each exposure to the music of Bach adds another vista to a universal music experience and invites  listeners to develop a deep personal relationship with his music.  Bach’s music embodies and points to a transcendent cohesiveness and sense of meaning that ultimately encompasses music in general, creating a balance of freedom and order found nowhere else in today’s world.

“So great was the rhythmic swing, pictorial effect and overall vitality that listeners near the stage seemed in danger at times of having the music dance right into their laps. You’d think the 280-year-old set had never been played before.”
~ Andrew Pincus, The Berkshire Eagle

Program and Offerings

Each year the Berkshire Bach Society produces a series of  instrumental and choral performances representing the widest possible spectrum of this body of Bach’s work, including well-known instrumental works and cantatas, as well as works that are superb but not often performed.

Our concerts are performed by wonderful artists, including the Berkshire Bach Ensemble.  These musicians are joined by high-caliber professional solo vocalists as the musical offerings require.

Performances have been held in diverse locations including local churches, the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center,  the Colonial Theatre, Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall, and Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, New York.

Community Response

A 2007 review by Clarence Fanto of WAMC-Northeast Public Radio indicated that “BBS is one of the most serious-minded organizations in the northeast region, and is highly respected by critics and listeners alike for its dedication to keeping the music of Bach and his contemporaries front and center.” Berkshire Eagle music reviewer Andrew L. Pincus commented about an outreach program which resulted in a performance at Ozawa Hall where “one hundred and twenty students sang and played baroque works with thrilling understanding and conviction.”

This is what makes the Berkshire Bach Society a “cultural imperative.”