About the Festival

The Arizona Bach Festival exists to inspire, educate, preserve and elevate the appreciation of Bach as a transcendent force, through the highest caliber of performances. The Arizona Bach Festival grew out of a seven-year series of Bach Cantata concerts presented under the name American Bach. Launched as a new non-profit organization, the first Festival in 2010 was a resounding success, followed by over 10 years of successful seasons, and the Festival is now an established presence in the musical offerings of the Valley.

The Arizona Bach Festival presents performances of, lectures on, and masterclasses about, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. We bring together performers from around the globe as well as talented musicians from our own community. We have presented works using instruments of Bach’s time, and works using contemporary instruments, as well as works in transcription.

Artists such as Grammy-winning American guitarist Jason Vieaux, German pianist Kimiko Ishizaka, Dutch soprano Josefien Stoppelenburg, and the Chamber Ensemble Haagsche Hofmuzieck, also from the Netherlands, have all performed. Local musicians include the Phoenix Chorale (with their own Grammy Awards), individuals from the Phoenix Symphony, and faculty of Arizona State University. Two key components of the Festival have remained constant in our history: Scott Youngs as Artistic Director, and Stephen Redfield as Concertmaster. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an all-volunteer Board of Directors, headed up by Board Chair, Don Morse.

To keep up with what’s happening with the Festival, we encourage you to sign up for email updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and we also hope that you spread the news to all your Bach-loving friends and family!