Bach Festivals & Cantata Series
Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival

Name:

Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival (SVBF)

Location:

Harrisonburg, VA, USA

Venues:

Eastern Mennonite University - Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA

Years:

Since 1993 (Annual Festival)

Months:

June

Artistic Director:

Kenneth Nafziger (1993-2022)
David Berry (2023)

Ensembles:

V/A

Website:

Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival

History & Mission:

The Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival is a week-long summer music festival devoted to promoting an appreciation and understanding of the music of J.S. Bach and a featured composer, country, era or people. The festival takes place on the campus of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Three featured concerts, daily noon concerts, open rehearsals, and a Sunday Leipzig service infuse the Valley with an unequaled musical richness.
The orchestra includes fine professional instrumentalists from all over the country who travel to Harrisonburg each June for one week of intense rehearsals and vibrant performances.
The volunteer Festival Choir allows community vocalists, who may be amateurs or professionals, to sing the most celebrated works of the orchestral-choral repertoire. The quality of the choir is first-rate and represents a blending of singers involved in a variety of local choral programs. This music festival has come to represent artistic excellence in the central Shenandoah Valley.

Recent Festivals:

1^st Festival: Jun 17-20, 1993
2^nd Festival: Jun 12-19, 1994 (Bach & American Music)
3^rd Festival: Jun 11-18, 1995 (Bach & Mendelssohn)
4^th Festival: Jun 16-23, 1996 (Bach & Mendelssohn II)
5^th Festival: Jun 15-22, 1997 (Bach & Schubert)
6^th Festival: Jun 14-21, 1998 (Bach & Music of the Americas)
7^th Festival: Jun 13-20, 1999 (Bach & Russian Music)
8^th Festival: Jun 11-18, 2000 (Bach & Forward)
9^th Festival: Jun 10-17, 2001 (Bach y la Música de Cuba)
10^th Festival: Jun 16-23, 2002 (Ten)

11^th Festival: Jun 15-22, 2003 (Journey)
12^th Festival: June 13-20, 2004
13^th Festival: June 12-19, 2005 (Bach & a few other Bs)
14^th Festival: Jun 11-18, 2006 (Mostly Bach)
15^th Festival: Jun 10-17, 2007 (Bach & some admirers)
16^th Festival: Jun 8-15, 2008 (Bach & String Things)
17^th Festival: Jun 14-21, 2009 (Bach & Handel)
18^th Festival: Jun 13-20, 2010 (Bach & American Music)
19^th Festival: Jun 12-19, 2011 (Bach & Mozart)
20^th Festival: Jun 10-17, 2012 (Twenty)

21^st Festival: Jun 9-16, 2013 (Bach, Verdi & Britten)
22^nd Festival: Jun 8-15, 2014 (Hear)
23^rd Festival: Jun 14-21, 2015
24^th Festival: Jun 12-19, 2016
25^th Festival: Jun 11-17, 2017
26^th Festival: Jun 10-17, 2018 (Bach to Bernstein
27^th Festival: Jun 9-19, 2019 (Creation)
28^th Virtual Festival: Jun 14-21, 2020
29^th Festival: Jun 13-20, 2021
30^th Festival: Jun 12-19, 2022 (30)

31^st Festival: Jun 11-17, 2023 (The Next Opus)
32^nd Festival: Jun 9-16, 2024 (Unity) 

Logo: