Virginia Arts Festival Presents Bach's St. John Passion International Bach Academy of Stuttgart

For fans of Johann Sebastian Bach, Easter weekend 2017 brings good news indeed: the Virginia Arts Festival presentation of Bach's St. John Passion, performed by the internationally renowned Bach Academy at Stuttgart.

The Bach Academy at Stuttgart is a center for Bach studies and performance in Stuttgart, Germany; its performing ensembles are welcomed in venues around the world. Founded in 1981 by Helmuth Rilling-a composer, Bach authority, and former student of Leonard Bernstein-the Academy has distinguished itself with performances and recordings that have become the standard for Bach performed on modern instruments. Today the Academy is led by the acclaimed conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann, whose readings of Bach masterworks have invited critical attention and a broad fan base. The mission of the Bach Academy is to honor the legacy of Bach and other Baroque composers, nurture gifted musicians, and create a performance tradition that "preserves the proven and shapes the new."

Performing on modern instruments in a historically-informed style, the Bach Academy is noted for its brisk tempos and spirited interpretations of J.S. Bach. The ensemble who will perform at the Sandler Center will be conducted by Rademann and comprises a chorus and orchestra of more than 60 performers, rendering a mighty sound in celebration of Bach's transcendent masterwork.

Tickets are $20-$65 and may be purchased online at www.vafest.org, by phone at 757-282-2822 or by visiting the Virginia Arts Festival box office located at 440 Bank Street in Norfolk between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

About the Virginia Arts Festival

Since 1997, the Virginia Arts Festival has transformed the cultural scene in southeastern Virginia, presenting great performers from around the world to local audiences and making this historic, recreation-rich region a cultural destination for visitors from across the United States and around the world. The Festival has presented numerous U.S. and regional premieres, and regularly commissions new works of music, dance, and theater from some of today's most influential composers, choreographers and playwrights. The Festival's arts education programs reach tens of thousands of area schoolchildren each year through student matinees, in-school performances, artists' residencies, master classes and demonstrations.