What is the Bach Project?
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was the pre-eminent composer of the Baroque period. With compositions written for virtually every liturgical event of the year, Bach’s sacred music holds deep meaning to ALL Christians. Bach, a Lutheran, wrote the Mass in g-Minor as a “Lutheran Mass.” However, when studying the Latin lyrics, you will find they are identical to the Catholic Mass. With an ecumenical spirit, we hope all Christians will enjoy this upcoming event and future Bach Project events.
We plan to offer people of faith in our community a rare opportunity to behold Bach’s sacred music in a devotional setting at a point in history when sacred devotion is critically needed. Fifty-two percent of people raised in the Catholic faith have left the Church in the United States in recent times. With statistics showing an unprecedented number of lapsed or nonpracticing Catholics, we intend to stem the trend within our community by offering them a unique, compelling, and thought-provoking opportunity to re-engage in their faith through concerts and videos featuring Bach’s musical insights into Christianity. Unfortunately, the same downward trend affects all Christian denominations. We hope our entire Christian community will join us in pursuing sacred music’s power to renew faith.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
Current Projects
The Focus on the Mass featuring Bach’s Mass in g-Minor, BWV 235, comes in two phases. The first phase involves the presentation of two professional Church performances of Bach's Mass. These performances will parallel the time-honored devotional tradition practiced in many European Churches through the experience of sacred music. Members of the National Opera of Colombia and the Blossom Festival Orchestra will perform the music. All who gather at the concerts will witness this breathtaking masterpiece while enhancing their faith experience, providing them with a window into the tremendous artistic and cultural phenomena that is Bach’s music.
For Students
The vocal artists have agreed to perform a master class for music students from our area's high schools. We are also negotiating ways to bus as many students as possible to the concerts with local school officials. The outcome we hope to gain from student involvement is threefold: to enhance the music education offered in our region, to expose a wide variety of youth to sacred music they may otherwise not have the opportunity to experience, and to provide them with an example of potentially life-changing faith-based culture.
Our Video
The second phase of our project is a professionally produced video of the concerts, complete with scholarly clerical insights into the Mass. Once again, it is essential to note that the video (and concerts) are not limited to Catholics. Instead, it is for all Christians who wish to be elevated by the splendid sacred music of Bach. In that sense, the video is a means to educate and evangelize a broader audience of whoever praises the Risen Christ. Upon completing this project, our planned outcome is to act as a change agent, potentially altering the course of people's lives for the better through our Christian faith.
Several well-established organizations, including the Netherlands Bach Society and Bach Stiftung, regularly release church concerts featuring Bach's sacred music. However, their videos do not offer insights through interviews and commentary about the music's importance to Catholics, Lutherans, and all Christians. We aim to fill this gap by providing scholarly and sacred commentary along with the music.
So far, our first video, Nativity of Christ, featuring Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, has established a growing viewership on social media. We were honored that the Bishop of a neighboring diocese congratulated us on our work. Two Catholic television networks have also expressed an interest in the video. We plan to expand their interest by adding more content to our catalog.
Future Plans
With the help of the Holy Spirit and your support, we plan to grow! Bach and other composers of sacred music have much to teach us about our faith. We seek partnerships with foundations, businesses, and individuals who share our interest in bringing these insights to a broadly inclusive Christian community. Producing meaningful content takes ample funding. That’s why we count on your donations, whether large or small. We are confident that artistic beauty and its importance to our world and faith will move the hearts of many. In pursuit of this goal, we look forward to ongoing relationships with those who subscribe to this mindset and are willing to assist in support of this evangelical effort. Thank you!