Bach Festivals & Cantata Series
Aachener Bachtage

Name:

Aachener Bachtage

Location:

Aachen, North Westphalia, Germany

Venues:

Annakirche (Evangelische Hauptkirche)
Annastraße / [Michaelstraße 8-10], Aachen
As the home church of the Aachener Bachverein, this 18^th-century church hosts the majority of the festival's cantatas, choir performances, and organ concerts (featuring its Weimbs organ).
St. Michael (City Church)
Jesuitenstraße, 52062 Aachen
Located in the city center, this atmospheric historic church is regularly utilized by the festival for large-scale vocal and chamber orchestra performances.
Krönungssaal (Coronation Hall) in the Aachener Rathaus
Markt, 52062 Aachen
The festival occasionally utilizes this historically significant and acoustically rich venue in Aachen's City Hall for special, large-scale anniversary or jubilee concerts.

Years:

Since 1973 (Annual Festival)

Months:

November-December

Artistic Director:

Johannes Geffert (1974-1979)
Wolfgang Karius (1983-2007)
KMD Georg Hage (2008-Present)

Ensembles:

Resident Ensembles
Aachener Bachverein: The premier oratorio choir of the Evangelical Church congregation in Aachen, consisting of about 120 members. They are the core host and performing body of the Bachtage.
BachVokal: The specialized 40-member chamber choir of the Aachener Bachverein, focusing primarily on 17^th- and 18^th-century repertoire and a-cappella works.
Hamburger Barockorchester
Notable Past and Guest Ensembles
NeoBarock: A well-known early music ensemble recognized for historically informed performance practices, frequently collaborating on complex works like J.S. Bach's Musical Offering BWV 1079.
Ludus Instrumentalis: A vibrant Baroque chamber ensemble that frequently provides period-instrument accompaniment for arias and cantata programs.
Kölner Kantorei & arcipelago - Ensemble für Alte Musik: Guest ensembles that regularly collaborate with the Bachverein for monumental choral works and UNESCO-heritage pieces like J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor BWV 232.
Concerto Köln, Instrumental Ensemble
Prague Philharmonia, Chamber Orchestra

Website:

Aachener Bachverein

History & Mission:

The Aachener Bachtage is an annual classical music festival in Aachen, Germany, running each November. Initiated in 1974, it centers around the choral and orchestral works of J.S. Bach, framing his music within broader historical contexts through diverse programming, including oratorios, chamber performances, jazz-improvisations, and avant-garde concerts.
History
The festival was established in 1974 by Johannes Geffert, who served as the music director for the Aachener Bachverein, a respected oratorio choir of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland founded in 1913.
Since 2008, the festival has been directed by Kirchenmusikdirektor Georg Hage, who has expanded its reach by collaborating with internationally renowned artists and ensembles such as Concerto Köln and the Prague Philharmonia.
In 2003, the Aachener J.S. Bach-Stiftung was established specifically to financially support and secure the ongoing production of the Bachtage and related concerts.
Mission
The primary mission of the festival is to place the works of J.S. Bach in active dialogue with other musical eras, exploring both historical and secular connections.
As an outreach effort by the Aachener Bachverein, the Bachtage aims to make classical, Baroque, and contemporary choral music accessible to the wider public of the "Kaiserstadt" (Imperial City) of Aachen.
Alongside traditional church and oratorio music, the festival seeks to challenge traditional listening through creative integrations, such as pairing J.S. Bach's cantatas with modern, experimental compositions and jazz workshops.

Recent Festivals:

10^th Festival: 1983 (Bach arrangiert Bach)

11^th Festival: 1984 (Bach arrangiert Vorläufer und Zeitgenossen)
12^th Festival: 1985 (Bach wird arrangiert)
13^th Festival: 1986 (Bachs lateinische Kirchenmusik)
14^th Festival: 1987 (Bach und Mozart - unvollendete Meisterwerke)
15^th Festival: 1988 (J.S. Bach und C.Ph.E. Bach)
16^th Festival: 1989 (Trauermusiken um Joh.S.Bach)
17^th Festival: 1990 (Der weltliche Bach)
18^th Festival: 1991 (Aachener Musiker singen und spielen für die neue Anna-Orgel)
19^th Festival: 1992 (Bach und Vivaldi)
20^th Festival: 1993 (J.S. Bach und die lateinische Messe)

21^st Festival: 1994 (J.S. Bach und Marien-Musik)
22^nd Festival: 1995 (J.S.Bach und F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy)
23^rd Festival: 1996 (J.S. Bach und Musik des 20. Jahrhunderts)
24^th Festival: 1997 (J.S. Bach und J. Haydn)
25^th Festival: 1998 (25 Jahre Aachener Bachtage)
26^th Festival: 1999 (Weihnachtliche Musik von J.S. Bach und aus der Romantik)
27^th Festival: 2000 (J.S. Bach - seine Vorgänger, Zeitgenossen und Nachfolger)
28^th Festival: 2001 (J.S. Bach und Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy)
29^th Festival: Nov 16-Dec 8, 2002 (J.S. Bach - Georg Philipp Telemann)
30^th Festival: Nov 25-Dec11, 2003 (J.S. Bach und französische Musik)

31^st Festival: Nov 7-Dec 5, 2004 (J.S. Bach und Franz Schubert - Endzeitliche Musik)
32^nd Festival: Nov 13-27, 2005 (J.S. Bach und Georg Friedrich Händel)
33^rd Festival: Nov 19-Dec 3, 2006 (J.S. Bach und englische Musik)
34^th Festival: Nov 11-Dec 9, 2007
35^th Festival: Nov 15-Dec 7, 2008 (Wegweiser "... für Zeichen und für Zeiten, für Tage und für Jahre")
36^th Festival: Oct 24-Nov 22, 2009 (Am Ende der Zeiten – "Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur")
37^th Festival: Nov 13-Dec 5, 2010 (Licht-Gestalten – "... zu leuchten wie des Himmels Glanz")
38^th Destival: Nov 12-Dec 11, 2011 (Zwischen Himmel und Erde)
39^th Festival: Nov 10-Dec 9, 2012 (Wege zum Schalom)
40^th Festival: Sep 15-Dec 15, 2013 (Bach & Friends - 100 Jahre Aachener Bachverein)

41^st Festival: Nov 1-23, 2014
42^nd Festival: Nov 14-Dec 6, 2015
43^rd Festival: Nov 6-20, 2016
44^th Festival: Oct 31-Nov 26, 2017
45^th Festival: Nov 3-26, 2018
46^th Festival: Nov 9-Dec 1, 2019
47^th Festival: Nov 1-22, 2020
48^th Festival: Nov 1-21, 2021
49^th Festival: Oct 29-Nov 21, 2022
50^th Festival: Nov 4-26, 2023

51^st Festival: Nov 2-25, 2024
52^nd Festival: Nov 1-24, 2025
53^rd Festival: Nov 7-29, 2026

Logo: