Bach Aria Soloists

Bach is prominent in the repertory of the Bach Aria Soloists, but the group performs music from the Renaissance to contemporary times. The group has a strong focus on educational outreach and collaborates frequently with musicians and artists in other media. The Bach Aria Soloists were founded in Kansas City in 1999 by violinist Elizabeth Suh Lane, who remained the group's executive director as of the early 2020s. Born in South Korea, Lane emigrated with her family to Baldwin City, Kansas, where her father taught at Baker College. She studied in Switzerland and performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, but when she decided to start a family, she hoped to find a performance situation that would allow her more control over her own schedule. She founded the Bach Aria Soloists in 1999, adapting the name from that of New York's defunct Bach Aria Group; she sought and received the blessing of violinist Danny Phillips of the latter ensemble. The other members as of the early 2020s were soprano Sarah Tannehill Anderson, who has appeared on two Grammy-winning albums by other Kansas City ensembles; Elisa Williams Bickers, who has performed frequently around Kansas City on harpsichord, organ, and piano; and cellist Hannah Collins, a professor at the University of Kansas. The Bach Aria Soloists released the album Hausmusik on the Tzigane label in 2012. The Bach Aria Soloists often perform Bach's music, but the group has a broad repertory ranging from Renaissance music to contemporary music, including commissions from living composers, tango, and vocal arias. The Soloists have performed well beyond Kansas City, earning USArtists International grants from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Mellon Foundation in 2016 and 2022. In 2022, the group served as artists-in-residence at the Thailand International Composition Festival, performing the world premiere of Narong Prangcharoen's Reticence for soprano, violin, cello, and harpsichord, giving concerts, and leading a master class for composition students. The Bach Aria Soloists have a long record of collaborations with other musicians, including trumpeter Rodney Marsalis, dancers from the Williams/Henry Contemporary Dance troupe, actors (including those of the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival), visual artists, and even scholars such as Bach specialist Christoph Wolff. The group's BachReach education program has served thousands of students in urban and suburban Kansas City schools with interactive classes, orchestral and chamber music clinics, and masterclasses. The Bach Aria Soloists released the album La dolce sirene on the Reference Recordings label in 2023.
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