Spirit Allegro choir, performing with various recorder players and instrumentalists from the local area, at Bach’s birthday celebration in Cobargo in 2024. Photos: Supplied.
Around the world, musicians will be giving free performances over the last 11 days of March to mark the 340th birthday of the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Cobargo is the only Australian locale registered for this global community movement, Bach in the Subways.
Local choirs Spirit Allegro and Haak will be performing alongside players of the recorder, keyboard, clarinet and harpsichord, as well as Canberra’s Uccellini Recorder Ensemble, at the Cobargo School of Arts Hall on 23 March.
Musician Kate Jorgenson held the inaugural Cobargo event in 2018 after discovering the Bach in the Subways movement.
Young cellist Dale Henderson started performing Bach’s Cello Suites in the New York City subway in 2010 to celebrate Bach’s birthday. He wanted to make classical music and the music of Bach more widely accessible.
The following year, Mr Henderson invited other musicians to join him. Two cellists accepted. Bach in the Subways was born and quickly spread in the next few years.
“Musicians would go out and play in subways, stations, cafes and zoos, all over the place,” she said. “There is no money involved and it was incredibly successful.”
By the time Ms Jorgenson learnt about Bach in the Subways in 2017, thousands of musicians in 40 countries were on board.
Some musicians had videoed themselves and put the footage online.
“I was so moved by these performances, incredibly heartfelt and passionate, by ordinary people who came together in public places, and by how they were welcomed,” Ms Jorgenson said.
Kate Jorgenson (centre) with her Uccellini Recorder Ensemble, all in their Bach T-shirts.
Ms Jorgenson was living in Bermagui at the time. She had moved from Canberra to Bermagui because it is a musical place with Four Winds concerts and a thriving choral scene.
She started Lumiere, a South Coast recorder group that played for around five years.
“We really enjoyed ourselves and thought we would get involved in this Bach celebration,” she said. “Bach is my favourite composer, so we just hired the Cobargo School of Arts Hall.”
The plan was to play some Bach music and invite people to listen and musicians to join them in their little Bach celebration.
They decided to do a joint piece so that any local players could come along and play, and ended up with a wonderful mix of recorders, string players, horn, clarinet, bassoon and viola.
“I really wanted an open environment where people of any age and ability could bring along their instrument and play something,” Ms Jorgenson said.
She chose a few works from Bach’s 1128 compositions and sent them to the musicians so people could play together on the day without rehearsing.
It worked and the celebration grew each year, drawing choirs and growing numbers of musicians.
This year’s performers include players and singers from towns around the Bega Valley, such as Merimbula, Pambula, Bega, Bemboka, Bermagui and Nethercote.
Each year the celebration of Bach’s birthday at the Cobargo School of Arts Hall is attracting bigger audiences and more performers.
The performance runs from 10 am to 11:30 am, followed by morning tea.
“Then we go our own way after a very joyous and uplifting time,” Ms Jorgenson said.
While there are many ticketed concerts by professional musicians to mark Bach’s birthday this year, she said it was lovely to have a free community one with people popping out of the woodwork.
“It shows how many people have music in their lives and love the music of Bach,” Ms Jorgenson said.
Apart from being a genius composer and organist, with an estimated IQ of 165, Bach was a fascinating man.
“A lot of people talk about his interest in maths and coding, and he wrote his name into some of his music,” Ms Jorgenson said. “He was a really clever guy. You only need to study his fugues to know that.”
He also fathered 20 children and spent four weeks in jail for disobedience while working for the Duke of Weimar.
“By all accounts, he was a stubborn but incredibly hard-working performer and composer, and his Lutheran faith was an incredibly important influence in his life and work,” Ms Jorgenson said.
She welcomed everyone to attend this free and friendly celebration, bring favourite Bach pieces to perform, and enjoy the music of Bach played and sung by keen local musicians. For more information, contact Ms Jorgenson on 0428 135 052.
Loading ...
