38th Annual NEPA Bach Festival

Three concerts over two days, as well as a free and informative lecture and presentation: a FREE Organ Concert at Elm Park UM Church, a Chamber Music Concert and a Choral Concert at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Scranton.

Sarah Davies, PhD will kick off the weekend’s events at 3:00 pm with her lecture, “Bach’s Missa Tota: The Creation of a Legacy" at Elm Park United Methodist Church in Scranton. The Mass in B minor (which Arcadia Chorale and Wilkes University Chamber Singers perform on Sunday of the Festival) was Bach’s final composition and never performed in its entirety in his lifetime. At its publication it was described as “The Greatest Musical Art Work of All Time and All People.” The lecture will give insight to how Bach created his Missa tota, using the five texts of the Latin mass, and also his inspiration for doing so. 

Stay to enjoy a free concert on Saturday at 4:00 pm, highlighting Elm Park's incredible organ. Grab a quick dinner downtown, and then head to Covenant Presbyterian Church at the corner of Madison Avenue and Olive Street in Scranton for an inspirational chamber music concert, beginning at 7:30 pm on Saturday. 

The 38th Annual NEPA Bach Festival culminates with a special presentation on Sunday at 3:00 pm, again at Covenant Church: guest soloists and soloists from the Chorale are featured in a performance of J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor in conjunction with the Joyce Herrema Memorial Fund. Arcadia Chorale, alongside the Wilkes University Chamber Singers and accompanied by the Arcadia Festival Orchestra, presents this monumental choral work for our audience.

Tickets available online or at the door:

• Adults: $15

• Seniors/WVIA members: $12

• Students free

• No tickets are necessary for the lecture or organ concert