Saturdays, July 18 & 25, 2020, 7:30 PM

Orchestra, Chorale, Chorus and Soloists conducted by Paul Goodwin

Bach’s Magnificat opens the 83rd Festival in a blaze of glory! A jubilant tone is set by an unusually large ensemble, with five soloists, five-part choir, trumpets, timpani and full wind section.

Sundays, July 19 & 26, 4:00 PM

Orchestra, Chorale, and Soloists conducted by Paul Goodwin

Bach’s Passions are deeply embedded in the Carmel Bach Festival DNA, and the Festival is proud to continue the tradition by presenting St. John Passion in 2020.

Mondays, July 20 & 27, 7:30 PM

Concertmaster Peter Hanson with members of the Festival Orchestra

The Festival’s Baroque virtuosi are featured on the Monday main concerts, performing four of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti, along with two Vivaldi classics for multiple solo violins.

Tuesdays, July 21 & 28, 7:30 PM

Orchestra, Mhairi Lawson, soprano, conducted by Paul Goodwin;

From the Storm and Stress first half to one of the gentlest and most peaceful endings in the orchestral repertoire, Tuesday’s concerts cover it all.

Wednesdays, July 22 & 29, 8:30 PM

Orchestra and Chorale conducted by Andrew Megill

The Seven Last Words from the Cross is regarded as James MacMillan’s masterpiece. The composer’s deep faith is overtly present in this mesmerizing and deeply moving music. In the Carmel Mission Basilica, the emotional impact of MacMillan’s work will be intense.

Thursdays, July 23 and 30, 7:30 PM

Edwin Huizinga, violin and William Coulter, guitar, known as Fire & Grace, return after a three-year run of wildly popular, sold-out concerts. The duo is joined by Spanish guest stars along with Festival vocalists and instrumentalists.

Fridays, July 24 & 31, 7:30 PM

Metropolitan Opera superstar soprano Angel Blue headlines the Friday Main Concerts.

The California native is recognized for her beautiful vocal timbre and stunning stage presence. Her voice is known for its shimmering and  agile upper register and “smoky” middle register. Angel starred in the Met’s Porgy and Bess last September, and will perform excerpts from Gershwin’s operatic treasure with bass-baritone soloist Dashon Burton.

Saturday, August 1, 7:30 PM

Favorite selections from the Festival are performed in this closing night concert that celebrates music, Carmel, the musicians of the Bach Festival, and the Festival’s loyal patrons. The program is a sampler of musician and audience favorites from throughout the two-week Festival Main and Chamber programs.

Monday, July 13, 7:30 PM

The Festival begins its performance season featuring two Baroque masters performing in beautiful Carmel Valley. Principal trumpet Robert Farley and principal keyboardist Andrew Arthur perform in St. Dunstan’s beautiful sanctuary.

Mondays, July 20 & 27, 11:00 AM

Andrew Arthur is the principal keyboardist and director of the Twilight in the Cathedral concerts. He is the director of music at Trinity Hall in Cambridge, England, the associate director of the Hanover Band, principal conductor of the Euterpe Baroque Consort and musical director of Orpheus Britannicus. His annual recitals at the iconic Carmel Mission Basilica are highlights of the chamber concert schedule.

Mondays, July 20 & 27, 2:30 PM

Andrew Arthur, continuo and director; Mhairi Lawson, soprano; Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Dashon Burton bass-baritone, bass; Stephen Schultz, flute; Gonzalo Ruiz, oboe, oboe d’amore; Dominic Favia, trumpet; Cristina Zacharias, Marika Holmqvist, violin; Cynthia Black, viola; Eva Lymenstull, cello; Derek Weller, bass

Tuesdays, July 21 & 28, 2:30 PM

Spanish songs from the Old and New Worlds

Estelí Gomez, soprano; Virginia Warnken Kelsey, mezzo-soprano; Jos Milton, tenor; Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone; Adriane Post, Johanna Novom, violin; Dominic Teresi, dulcian; Daniel Swenberg, Simon Martyn Ellis, guitar; Kevin Neuhoff, percussion.

Wednesdays, July 22 & 29, 2:30 PM

Molly Quinn, Jennifer Paulino, soprano; Virginia Warnken Kelsey, mezzo-soprano; Chloe Fedor, Gabrielle Wunsch, violin; Paul Dwyer, cello; Dongsok Shin, harpsichord; Daniel Swenberg, lute.

Fridays, July 24 & 31, 2:30 PM

Cynthia Roberts, Patricia Ahern, violin; Karina Schmitz, Kyle Miller, viola; Allen Whear, cello

Saturday, July 25, 11:00 AM

Members of the Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra, narrated by Paul Goodwin

The Epic Adventures of Leonard and Rasmus 2020 – Road Trip!

Join our intrepid duo as they motor about the U.S., listening to the infinite variety of musical genres from different regions – classical, jazz, Dixieland, bluegrass, folk, blues, etc. Featured composers include Copland, Joplin, Sousa, Gershwin, Walker, and Tower.

Saturday, July 25, 2:30 PM

The Carmel Bach Festival Young Artists Competition recognizes talented young musicians from the Central Coast. This showcase presents accomplished young soloists, pianists, instrumentalists, vocalists, and chamber ensembles performing on the Sunset Center main stage.

Thursday, July 30, 2:30 PM

The Festival Youth Chorale, re-born in 2020, performs at Carmel’s beautiful Church of the Wayfarer. The Youth Chorale is under the direction of Dr. David Dehner.

Friday, July 31, 4:00 PM

Four emerging string musicians from our Baroque and Classical Academy perform Baroque and Classical masterworks. The new Academy is under the direction of violinist Edwin Huizinga.

Saturday, August 1, 1:30 PM

Four emerging vocal stars from our VBA Masterclass program perform Baroque masterpieces with members of the Festival Orchestra.

Saturday, August 1, 11:00 AM

The Festival’s final day begins at the Sunset Center with a charming Haydn and Mozart program featuring principal flutist Robin Carlson Perry and harpist Dan Levitan.

Mondays, July 20 & 27, 1:00 PM

Daniel Swenberg, lute,

Tuesdays, July 21 & 28, 1:00 PM

Paul Dwyer, cello

Wednesdays, July 22 & 29, 1:00 PM

Cristina Zacharias, violin; Dongok Shin, harpsichord

Thursdays, July 23 & 30, 1:00 PM

Jennifer Paulino, Melanie Russell, soprano; Virginia Warnken Kelsey, mezzo-soprano, Timothy Hodges, Owen McIntosh, tenor; Jonathan Woody, bass; Daniel Swenberg, lute

Fridays, July 24 & 31, 1:00 PM

Dan Levitan, harp

Wednesday, July 22 and 29, 5:00 PM

We salute Beethoven’s 250th birthday with performances of an early and late string quartet at Pebble Beach’s Church in the Forest. The Quartet in F Major, op. 135 was the last composition Beethoven completed.

Thursdays, July 23 & 30, 5:00 PM

Monterey’s iconic and beautiful San Carlos Cathedral has hosted Bach Festival twilight concerts for many years. The 2020 program presents two Bach harpsichord concerti along with a trumpet suite by Telemann. Enjoy some of the Festival’s finest Baroque musicians performing in the magnificent setting of the San Carlos Cathedral, just steps from downtown Monterey.

Sunday, July 19, 8:30 PM

Dawn Walker, flute; Ellen Sherman, oboe; Ginger Kroft, Erin Finkelstein clarinet; Dominic Teresi, Laura Koepke, bassoon; Meredith Brown, Alicia Mastromonaco, horn.

Sunday, July 26, 8:30 PM

The Sunday candlelight concerts at All Saints church are the perfect way to end your Festival weekend. The 2020 Festival offers two intriguing programs—woodwind ensemble works from Gounod, Prokofiev and Mozart and a program dedicated to the music of Monteverdi.