A total of 48 concerts in 15 days – Tickets are on sale now!

Bach and Rossini
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.

St. John Passion
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.

Brandenburgs
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.

Mozart and Mahler
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.

Seven Last Words
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.

Spirit of Spain— Folk & Baroque from the Iberian peninsula
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.

Angel Blue
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.

Best of the Fest
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.
Chamber Concerts

Organ and Trumpet at St. Dunstan’s
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.

All Bach Organ Recital
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.

Bach Cantatas
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

Carmina Latina
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.

Women of the Baroque
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.

Quintessential Mozart
Fridays, July 24 & 31, 2:30 PM
Cynthia Roberts, Patricia Ahern, violin; Karina Schmitz, Kyle Miller, viola; Allen Whear, cello

Family Concert: The Epic Adventures of Leonard and Rasmus
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.

Young Artists’ Showcase
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.

Youth Chorale in Concert
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.

Baroque and Classical Academy Quartet Showcase
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.

Virginia Best Adams Masterclass Showcase
Saturday, August 1, 1:30 PM
Four emerging vocal stars from our VBA Masterclass program perform Baroque masterpieces with members of the Festival Orchestra.

Viennese Matinee
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.
Foyer Concerts
Every weekday during the Festival, there is a recital in the Sunset Center Foyer at 1:00. Get to know your favorite Festival musicians in an intimate setting. The appealing programs last just under an hour. These concerts are very popular and due to limited seating capacity, sell out quickly.

Bach and the Lute
Mondays, July 20 & 27, 1:00 PM
Daniel Swenberg, lute,

Bach and the Cello
Tuesdays, July 21 & 28, 1:00 PM
Paul Dwyer, cello

Bach and the Violin
Wednesdays, July 22 & 29, 1:00 PM
Cristina Zacharias, violin; Dongok Shin, harpsichord

Bach and the Voice: Chorale and Madrigal
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

Bach and the Harp
Fridays, July 24 & 31, 1:00 PM
Dan Levitan, harp
Twilight Concerts

Beethoven Quartets in the Forest
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.

Bach in the Cathedral
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.
Candlelight Concerts

Harmoniemusik: From Street Corner to Concert Hall
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.

Monteverdi Songs of Love and War
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.
The schedule of open rehearsals will be released in June.
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