Bach in the City Returns for Second Chicago Season

Bach in the City ensemble. (Photo: Igor Dymo)

Bach in the City will return for its second season with three concerts celebrating the breadth of Johann Sebastian Bach's music. Each concert will be performed on period instruments at venues across Chicago.

The series opens October 4 with a program exploring the Stylus Fantasticus, the highly improvisatory and theatrical Baroque style that influenced Bach's earliest works. Serving as a prelude to the season, the concert traces the musical traditions that shaped the composer before turning to his early compositions.

The ensemble's inaugural holiday performance follows on January 8, 2027, featuring selections from Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248), one of the composer's most beloved sacred works.

The season concludes May 14 with a program highlighting Bach's concertos for a variety of instruments alongside a selection of his motets.

With the exception of the October opener, all performances will take place at venues near DePaul University's Lincoln Park campus.

Bach in the City made its debut on March 21, 2025, the anniversary of Bach's birth,  emerging in the wake of Chicago's long-running Bach Week Festival. The organization is dedicated to presenting historically informed performances that bring Bach's music to audiences in intimate settings throughout the city.