The Bach Institute

Pamela Dellal, Director; Ryan Turner, Associate Director

The Bach Institute, with public events throughout each performance season, provides engagement with Bach’s music through presentations and participatory activities. We are creating and sharing a trove of resources specific to the varied interests of music professionals, amateurs, aficionados, and anyone curious about what Bach’s music may offer to today’s listeners.

Bach Institute 2024
Public Events

A photo of Nicholas Phan
Conversation: Pamela Dellal, Ryan Turner, and Nicholas Phan
Is Bach for Everyone?
Jan. 5, 2024 at 7.00pm
Nick, Pam, and Ryan will conduct a stimulating round-table discussion on what Bach means for us in this time; what he intended to say to his own time, and how Bach will remain relevant for future times.
Ryan Turner conducting an orchestra
Open Cantata Rehearsals
Jan. 6, 2024 at 11.30am and 1pm
Grab a front row seat to see how the weekly cantata performance comes together in just one rehearsal. Listen to Artistic Director Ryan Turner and guests discuss the musical intricacies of the cantata they are preparing.

11:30 am: Cantata Open Rehearsal: Ryan Turner conducts BWV 7
1:00 pm: Conversation: Ryan Turner and Pamela Dellal discuss BWV 7

Members of the public are welcome
to bring a bag lunch to the talk at 1 pm
Choir performing
Cantata BWV 7: Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam

Ryan Turner conducting with Nicholas Phan, tenor soloist
Jan. 7, 2024 at 10.00am
Cantata presentation as part of the Sunday morning church service at Emmanuel Church.
A photo of Nicholas Phan
Master Class - Bach's Time
led by special guest Nicholas Phan
featuring the Bach Institute Fellows
Jan. 8, 2024 at 7.00pm
A photo of Teresa Neff
photo credit: Jonathan Sachs
Conversation: Teresa Neff
The Past Becomes Present: Bach's Use of the Chorale in His Cantatas
Jan. 9, 2024 at 7.00pm
By Bach’s time the chorale had been a fundamental part of the Lutheran worship service for generations and had inspired compositions for both worship and home entertainment. These texts and tunes with roots reaching back to Martin Luther were part of a musical language shared by most Lutherans. Bach enriched this tradition by incorporating dramatic musical settings of a chorale within a cantata or framing the cantata with chorale settings as the outer movements. Bach also used the chorale to connect specific events – usually related to the birth or death of Jesus – with the contemporary believer. In this context, the chorale acts as a musical bridge, bringing new meaning and impact to a familiar moment from a Biblical narrative. This presentation will explore how Bach’s use of the chorale shifted the perspective of the congregation from spectator to participant.
A photo of The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz
A photo of Dr. Karen King
Conversation: the Rev. Pamela Werntz and Dr. Karen King
Translation Backwards and Forwards
Jan. 11, 2024 at 7.00pm
Translation can be described as "saying in one language what someone else said in another," but in truth there are no one-to-one correspondences between tongues. Languages convey whole worlds and ways of seeing them; and the task of porting and bridging between different languages is much more complex. Things change; choices have to be made; some things are lost; over time more sticky layers accrue; it gets complicated. In Bach cantatas, the linguistic traditions range from 1st century Greek and 16th century German to 21st century English, across continents and history both theological and political. We're interested in not only what words and ideas meant then, but what they mean now and going forward.
Ryan Turner conducting an orchestra
Open Cantata Rehearsals
Jan. 13, 2024 at 11.30am and 1pm
Grab a front row seat to see how the weekly cantata performance comes together in just one rehearsal. Listen to Artistic Director Ryan Turner and guests discuss the musical intricacies of the cantata they are preparing.

11:30am: Cantata Open Rehearsal: John Harbison conducts BWV 79
1:00 pm: Conversation: John Harbison discusses the cantata

Members of the public are welcome
to bring a bag lunch to the talk at 1 pm
Ryan Turner conducting an orchestra
Cantata BWV 79: Gott, der Herr, ist Sonn und Schild John Harbison conducting
Jan. 14, 2024 at 10am
Cantata presentation as part of the Sunday morning church service at Emmanuel Church.
Ryan Turner conducting an orchestra
Showcase Concert featuring Bach Institute fellows
Jan. 14, 2024 at 7.00pm

Season-Long Events

A photo of a cantata performance
Cantata Conversations
Saturdays
10:00am-11:30am – conversations in the Emmanuel Room
11:30am-12:30pm – open rehearsals in the sanctuary
Stand-alone conversations examining the cantata of the week led by Pamela Dellal and other members of our community. We will listen to excerpts from the cantata and discuss specific examples of Bach's masterful use of this musical form. After our conversation you are invited to listen in on the orchestra and chorus’ Saturday rehearsal.

2024 Conversation Dates
2/10 - BWV 22  Sign Up!
2/17 - BWV 93  Sign Up!
3/2 - BWV 102  Sign Up!
A candid photo of musicians talking
Community Chorale Sing
TBD (Fall 2024)
Artistic Director Ryan Turner and Bach Institute Director Pamela Dellal lead an exploration of the beautiful and varied chorales in the Bach cantatas. All are welcome to participate; scores will be provided in advance.
A photo of a performance of Christmas In Leipzig
Masterclass for All!
TBD (Summer 2024) The Music Room
Explore how to sing or play a Bach piece with Artistic Director Ryan Turner and Bach Institute Director Pamela Dellal. No audition required, but you must register with a piece already chosen and prepared. All welcome to observe; participation limited to six individuals or ensembles, with the potential for two alternates.
January Intensive 2024: Bach's Time
January 4-15, 2024
featuring special guest Nicholas Phan
A photo of Ryan Turner conducting
Time fascinated Bach; his music contemplates both eternity and the brevity of time. Bach was a man very much of his time, and simultaneously a composer for all time; his relationship to the legacy of history and to posterity is vigorous and multi-stranded. For the 2024 Bach Institute January Intensive we will go on a journey through time and about time with the master, to discover what he can teach us about our place in history, in eternity, and even in the score!

During the BI January Intensive we invite a group of auditioned talented young musicians for a 10-day exploration of Bach's marvelous cantata repertoire, including lectures, masterclasses, open rehearsals, and stimulating conversations. Bach's music is fully alive at Emmanuel Music; come watch us play in our living laboratory, testing and examining sound, text, and structure to discover the underlying messages in the music.