Symposium Schedule

Department of Music & Dance, UMass Amherst
Friday evening & Saturday, April 21-22, 2023

Symposium events take place in the Bromery Center for the Arts, Room 419, and will also be live-streamed.  See fee info below.  Full Bach Festival program book (pdf) =>
GENERAL REGISTRATION FORM for remote and in-person attendees =>

Friday, 4/21/23  (Panel in BCA 419 & hybrid)

7:30-9pm: Evening Panel
“What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Bach and Timbre?”
Ernest May, Joel Lester, Joshua Rifkin, with Isabella van Elferen and Emily Dolan respondents
Includes presentations by Joel Lester, “Timbre and the Music of J.S. Bach – Thoughts from Centuries Later,” (Joel Lester handout=>Joshua Rifkin, “Timbre in Bach: No Compromise” and Ernest May, “Bach & Timbre: A View from the Organ Loft” (Ernest May handout=>)

Saturday, 4/22/23  (Sessions in BCA 419 & hybrid)

9:30-10am: Refreshments and Registration (BCA 4th Floor Arts Bridge)
9:55am: Welcome from Matthew Westgate, Chair of the Music & Dance Department

10:00-11:00am: Session on Timbre and Wind Instruments
Moderator: Emily Dolan

Jeana Melilli, “Gamba, Flute, and J.S. Bach’s Right Hand: Examples of Timbral Flexibility of the 18th Century Trio and Accompanied Sonatas in BWV 1027/1039”

Rachel Gain, “Hearing Emotion, Feeling Key: Timbre, Technique, and Tonality in J.S. Bach’s Flute Obbligati”

11:00-11:15 Break

11:15am – 12:45pm: Session on Pieces for Keyboard
Moderator: Ernest May

Erinn Knyt, “Acoustic Resonances: New Timbres, Sounds, and Colors in the Bach-Busoni Transcriptions, Arrangements, Editions, and Interpretations”

Emily Kraine, “Wendy Carlos and Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier”

Yo Tomita, “Bach’s Concept of Timbre and The Well-Tempered Clavier
Link to Tomita’s pdf handout =>

12:45 – 2:00pm: Lunch (provided)

2:00 – 3:00pm: Introduction by Barbara Krauthamer, Dean of the College of Humanities & Fine Arts
Keynote Address: Isabella van Elferen, “Bach’s Tone-Pleasure”

3:00 – 3:15pm Break

3:15 – 5:15pm: Session on Space and Vocal Music
Moderator: Evan MacCarthy

Christine Blanken, “Cantatas with changes in instrumentation: The reception of Cantata (early) versions with obbligato organ”

Robert and Mary Riggs, “Bach’s St. Matthew Passion: Ballet by John Neumeier

Markus Rathey, “Timbre, Space, and Texture in Bach’s Cantatas for Open-Air Performances”

Daniel Boomhower, “The Social Significance of Changing Choral Timbres”

5:15 – 6:15pm: Evening Reception (BCA 4th floor Arts Bridge)

7:30pm: Performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor (Tillis Performance Hall)

Symposium Fees:
Remote attendees: Free; In-person attendees: $25; Students: $5 (lunch included)
Cash or check accepted on the day of the event.
Friday evening Panel Discussion is free to all.
GENERAL REGISTRATION FORM for remote and in-person attendees=>

Skip to toolbar