Philadelphia Bach Collective

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Philadelphia Bach Collective

Offering our community the music of J.S. Bach in free public performances

05/06/2026

That’s a wrap on our first season!!!!

We’re so touched by everyone who has come to see our concerts, and supported our first season!!

Swipe through to see and hear our audience chorale sing along and a packed house yesterday for BWV 80!

05/04/2026

"A secure fortress is our God,
A good defense and weaponry;
He helps free us from every distress
That has befallen us now."

Enter through the iconic red doors of St. Mark's Church on Locust Street and join us for our final cantata program on May 5 @ 1 PM! We're grateful to St. Mark's for hosting us this season.

Open to all, no tickets required!

05/03/2026

“Bach is a real heart composer for me and I am so grateful any time I get to spend time in his musical world. Bach continuo arias are among the most challenging and gratifying repertoire for continuo players. I love the challenge of both supporting the vocal soloist and weaving and shaping a soloistic continuo line- there’s absolutely NOTHING like it!”

Hear Eve's beautiful continuo playing at our season finale on March 5 at 1:00 at St. Mark's Church. Cantata 80, Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. Open to all, pay what you wish.

05/01/2026

"As a singer, I love how the complexity of Bach's harmonic language challenges my musical skills. Every time I sing one of Bach's works, even if I've already sung the piece before, I walk away with a sense of accomplishment that I don't always feel with other composers."

We welcome Gabriela Estephanie Solís, mezzo-soprano at our final concert this season on Tuesday, May 5 at 1 PM at St. Mark's Church. Greet the musicians following the performance for a garden reception!

04/28/2026

PBC Co-directors have some sweet news!

Rebecca, Steve, and Heather had a festive planning meeting with Herr Bach and their favorite local baked goods.

Come to our season finale on Tuesday, May 5 at 1 PM at St. Mark's Church to celebrate our inaugural season (more cake!) and find out what's coming up next.

Program:
“Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn’ ihn,” BWV 1127
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80.3

Jessica Beebe, soprano
Gabriela Estephanie Solís, mezzo-soprano
Steven Soph, tenor
Edmund Milly, bass
Ellen Exner, oboe
Geoffrey Burgess, oboe
Gillian Bobnak, oboe
Karen Dekker, violin
Evan Few, violin
Eve Miller, cello
Daniel Elyar, viola
Heather Miller Lardin, bass
John Walthausen, keyboard

04/26/2026

Honored to be featured by Peter Dobrin in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s spring concert picks.

Bach, up close in one of Philadelphia’s most beautiful spaces.

May 5 · 1 PM · St. Mark’s Church
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (BWV 80)
Pay what you wish

04/25/2026

Turns out our iconic "Coffee Cantata" mugs are also great for tea! 🫖 ☕️ 🍰 Want one? It can be yours for a donation of $50 or more at our next performance - and you'll help keep our Bach concerts free for the Philly community!

Next up: Cantata 80, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott"
May 5 @ 1 pm, St. Mark's Church.

04/23/2026

"Bach's cantatas are a never-ending source of exhilarating challenge and discovery. What is there left to do when you have thoroughly explored your obsession with the Passions and the B Minor Mass? Oh, just 200 multi-movement works that are every bit as virtuosically constructed and every bit as rewarding to explore. I am interested in performing all of Bach's cantatas in my lifetime, but just as special as learning a new one is revisiting one I've done before, because there is always something more to glean."

We agree 💯 and we're so excited to perform Bach's Cantata 80 with Edmund Milly on May 5 @ 1 pm at St. Mark's Church! Join us for our final free concert of the season.

04/21/2026

"Bach used extended members of the oboe family mainly for special-occasion works, such as Cantata BWV 80, which was for Reformation Day (the founding of the Lutheran church). This cantata features the oboe as well as its wacky cousins: the oboe d’amore (oboe of love) and the oboe da caccia (oboe of the hunt). In Bach’s time, these instruments were recent, hyper-local inventions. In writing for them, he demonstrated his sonic creativity as well as his lifelong commitment to exploring every possible artistry."

Thanks to oboist Ellen Exner for sharing this photo of her new oboe d'amore and some thoughts about Bach's use of it and its cousins. You can hear her play them in Cantata 80 at our next concert on May 5 at 1 pm at St. Mark's Church!

04/19/2026

"One thing I love about singing Bach cantatas, or Bach in general, is the ability to tell a story in a collaborative setting with like-minded and talented people.

Bach showcases all of his musicians at some point or another in his cantatas, and it’s always tasteful, and deeply moving. It’s crazy to think that he wrote between 200-300 cantatas in his lifetime and each one is special and unique in their own way- it’s always a new adventure!

I’m so glad to have a place in Philadelphia to be able to sing, play, perform and enjoy Bach at a high level of musicianship. Philly is lucky to have the Phila Bach Collective!"

Jessica brought down the house at our season opener last fall with Bach's Coffee Cantata. Don't miss hearing her one last time at our final performance of the season on May 5, St. Mark's Church @ 1 PM. Bach's Cantata 80, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott".

Address

Philadelphia, PA

Website

https://www.philadelphiabachcollective.org/

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