Washington Bach Consort

Among the most durable U.S. historical performance groups, the choral-orchestral Washington Bach Consort has a repertory extending beyond the music of its namesake. The group has performed a complete cycle of J.S. Bach's cantatas. The Washington Bach Consort was established in Washington, D.C., in 1977. Its founder was J. Reilly Lewis, who remained the group's conductor for the first 39 years until his death in 2016. After a national search, Dana Marsh, a professor and director of the Historical Performance Institute at the University of Indiana, was named the group's artistic director in 2018. The Washington Bach Consort adheres to historical performance practice in its mostly Baroque and Classical-period repertory. The group has a fourfold stated mission, aiming to perform music by Bach and his contemporaries to the highest standard, broadening the audience for Bach's music in the U.S. capital city, nurturing appreciation for Bach's music through education and community outreach, and developing Bach performances that address audiences of today. The Washington Bach Consort is a professional, chamber-sized choral-orchestral ensemble. In 1989, the group released its debut album, featuring Bach's motets. The Washington Bach Consort is a highly visible part of Washington's concert and educational scenes. The group performs three separate concert series: substantial works in the Director's Series at the National Presbyterian Church and the Strathmore Music Center; the Chamber Music Series at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, and Live! at 10th and G in Washington; and a Noontime Cantata Series at various locations. The Consort has toured Europe three times. The group frequently performs in schools, at no charge, for students who may be encountering Bach's music for the first time. The Washington Bach Consort has made recordings for the Newport Classic (a 1999 album featuring the first American recording of Bach's Magnificat, BWV 243, and C.P.E. Bach's Magnificat in D minor) and Loft Recordings labels, moving to Acis Productions in 2023 for the album Myths Contested.
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