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History of the Miami Bach Society
The Miami Bach Society (MBS)
was founded in 1984 by a group of parishioners at The Coral Gables' Presbyterian
Church. This group planned three concerts to celebrate the 300th
anniversary of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach. Because of the tremendous
success of the programs, they formed a more permanent entity, The Miami Bach
Society. Since then, the Society has performed an average of four concerts a
year. The venues broadened to include much of Miami-Dade County, and, in recent
years, other Florida venues such as Boca Raton and Key West, FL., as well as
international cultural events in Europe.
The Miami Bach Society performs
music of the greatest Baroque masters as well as works of other 17th
and 18th century composers. These include Lully, Couperin,
Charpentier, Vivaldi, Corelli, Händel, Telemann and the sons of Bach: Carl
Philipp Emanuel, Johann Christian and George Friedman.
It utilizes
the talent of local artists from the faculty of the University of Miami,
the New World Symphony, and what was the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra,
In its season concerts, the
Bach Society also presents great musicians with national and international
reputations. countertenor Steven Rickards, and
noted Baroque
soprano
Julianne Baird
regularly sing with the Miami Bach Society orchestra and chorus. Dutch
cellist Anner Bylsma, Mexican recorder player Horacio Franco; and groups such as The Ensemble
for Early Music, Lionhart and The Baltimore Consort have been featured in past
seasons.
For twenty-three
years the Society has enjoyed the strong leadership with Donald
Oglesby, Professor of Choral
Music at The University of Miami, as its Artistic Director, and of Robert
Heath, accomplished harpsichordist and music director at the Plymouth
Congregational Church in Coconut Grove, who for ten years served as Executive Director
and for another ten years has acted as Artistic Coordinator. A committed and
enthusiastic Board of Directors has
spearheaded fund-raising efforts and provided the personnel to stage the
concerts. In addition, a National Advisory Board
of musicians, educators and festival directors has been created to offer advice
and support.
In 1995, Kathryn Gaubatz assumed the position of Executive Director, and has managed the Society since then. Under her guidance, the Society launched its International Tropical Baroque Music Festival with critical acclaim. The Festival features international stars of baroque music, attracts enthusiastic crowds, and provides in-school programs for youth.
In recent
years, the Society also has
developed an
International Cultural Exchange program. This has featured a 2000 summer visit
to the Center for Baroque Music in Versailles, France, and a concert by Robert Heath
in
Aix-en-Provence,
under the auspices of Les Festes d’Orphée, a baroque music organization in that
city. The MBS plans further international educational and performance exchanges.
This year, the Society is hosting Auser Music, a group from Coral Gables' sister
city of Pisa, Italy.
In the up-coming season, the
Society looks forward to providing Baroque
music to the people of Coral Gables, Greater Miami and the world. Immediate
future plans also include European broadcasts of The
International Tropical Baroque Music Festival through an MBS affiliation with
The
European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
In all, The Miami Bach Society
endeavors to enhance its local cultural environment for the national and
international visitors who conduct business and vacation in South Florida.
With this, The Miami Bach Society endeavors to bring the cultural excellence of
its area to
the world.