The mission of the Bach Festival Society is to bring excellent vocal, choral and instrumental music to the widest possible audience in southwest Michigan through performances of major works by the Bach Festival Chorus and orchestra, the sponsorship of renowned vocal artists and choral groups and educational outreach activities. The Bach Society focuses on the music of J. S. Bach and composers from the Renaissance to the contemporary era.

One of Kalamazoo’s oldest musical organizations, the Bach Festival Society was founded in 1946 by Henry Overley, Professor of Music at Kalamazoo College, who wanted to bring “town and gown” together to experience the joy of making music and to create something sublime — in particular, to recreate the choral and instrumental music of J. S. Bach and his contemporaries.

Participants included visiting artists, local professional musicians, college and high school students, and many amateur performers. A performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion inaugurated the Festival in March 1947. In its early years, the season consisted of a Christmas concert and a spring festival week, featuring many distinguished guest artists.

Since 1947, the Festival has grown and expanded, due to the active involvement of the community: now year-long, it includes “Bach-to-School” educational programs, Bach Legacy Lectures, a “Bach-Around-the-Block” organ crawl, a Young Artist Competition and Concert, a High School Choral Festival, master classes for young singers, and performances with the Kalamazoo Symphony, as well as our traditional Christmas concert and gala finale concert.

The Festival’s repertoire has expanded to include not only the music by Bach and his contemporaries, but also nineteenth-and twentieth-century composers. The Festival concludes its season each year with the performance of a major symphonic choral work of Bach or another master composer (Mendelssohn’s Elijah in 1998, Mozart’s Requiem in 1999 and 2006, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass in 2000, Brahms’ German Requiem in 2002, Bach’s B Minor Mass in 2003 and 2007, Mozart’s Solemn Vespers in 2004, Handel’s Messiah, Parts II and III in 2005 and Rachmaninoff's Vespers in 2008).

Our mission is to bring together people of all ages and diverse backgrounds and provide them with an opportunity to experience the joy of making music by performing some of the best works in the choral repertoire.

James Turner, Bach Festival Music Director and Conductor, is also Professor of Music and Director of Vocal and Choral Activities at Kalamazoo College where he conducts the College Singers and the select Chamber Singers.

Since becoming the Music Director of the Kalamazoo Bach Festival in 1996, Professor Turner has led the Festival Chorus and Orchestra in such choral masterworks as Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Mass in C minor, and Vesperae solennes de Confessore, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Handel’s Messiah, Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, and J.S. Bach’s Magnificat, Christmas Oratorio, B Minor Mass, and St. John Passion.

A frequent collaborator with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Professor Turner prepared the Bach Festival Chorus, Kalamazoo College Singers and Community Chorus for their appearances with the KSO in Shostakovich’s Song of the Forest, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Brahms’ German Requiem, and Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang. In addition, Professor Turner prepared the Bach Festival Chorus for its performance with the KSO of the North American premiere of Ugis Praulins’ Te Deum Laudamus.

Professor Turner earned his MM from Louisiana State University and his BA from Mars Hill College in North Carolina.

 

Mary Lam-Rodrigues was appointed Director of the Bach Festival of Kalamazoo in December of 2008. Ms. Lam-Rodrigues is responsible for managing programming and the implementation of an annual Festival and BachFest Concert Series, planning and program development for education and outreach initiatives, and the day-to-day management of the organization. With more than 15 years of experience in arts administration, she is a seasoned administrator with broad experience in marketing, development, finance, operations, and educational programming.

Prior to joining the Bach Festival, Ms. Lam-Rodrigues served as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the award-winning chamber music presenter Fontana Chamber Arts (Kalamazoo, MI). In her role, she expanded the organization's marketing efforts and enhanced brand development initiatives. During her tenure at Fontana, Ms. Lam-Rodrigues also held the role of Business Manager, overseeing the organization's finances and day-to-day operations.

Ms. Lam-Rodrigues also previously served as the Associate Director of Development of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, where she successfully oversaw fundraising efforts for individual giving. In addition, she has worked in Education and Outreach for the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, Illinois, and in Operations as stage manager for the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra in Indiana.

A native of Virginia, Ms. Lam-Rodrigues moved to the Midwest to pursue her undergraduate studies at the University of Evansville. At the University she studied piano, harpsichord and organ, gaining experience as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and teacher. In addition to her keyboard studies, her instrumental background includes flute, trombone, and euphonium. Ms. Lam-Rodrigues holds a B.S. in Music Management from the University of Evansville and completed her MBA in Marketing from Michigan State University in 2004.

Linda Van Dis has been affiliated with the Bach Festival since 1997. She sang alto in the Festival Chorus before leaving the risers for the festival office in 1999 where she has been since. Linda oversees publicity and marketing, manages the box office, ticket sales, donations and gifts, and helps coordinate the Festival’s many educational outreach events. She is the staff liaison to the Festival Chorus and assists with grant writing and season development.

Linda received her bachelor's degree from Kalamazoo College and earned a master's degree in art history from Michigan State University.

Lawrence J. Montei, President
Fred Sang, Vice President
Godfrey Grant, Secretary
Nijole Botyrius, Treasurer

Mary Beth Birch Gordon Bolar Nijole Botyrius Mark Craig Michael Dombos Gregory Fitzgerald

Victor Garcia Godfrey Grant Judith Halseth Jane Hoogerheide Cindy Hunter Mary Licavoli

Larry Montei John Rohs Fred Sang David Scarrow Irene Trivers Claudia Willsea