Bach Festival Leipzig

About Bach Festival Leipzig

The Bach Festival Leipzig (Bachfest Leipzig) is a prestigious international music festival dedicated to celebrating the extraordinary musical legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach, who served as cantor at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig from 1723 until his death in 1750. Held annually in June, the festival draws thousands of visitors from around the world to experience Bach's compositions performed in the authentic settings where many of them were first heard.

The festival's centerpiece is the series of concerts held in St. Thomas Church (Thomaskirche), where Bach worked and where his remains are now buried. Performances by the St. Thomas Boys Choir (Thomanerchor), which Bach once directed, create a direct musical lineage back to the composer himself. Other historic venues include the Nikolaikirche, the Gewandhaus, and various churches and locations throughout Leipzig that were significant in Bach's life.

Each year, the festival is organized around a specific theme that explores different aspects of Bach's vast compositional output, his influences, or his impact on subsequent generations of musicians. World-renowned conductors, soloists, ensembles, and orchestras specializing in Baroque music and historically informed performance practice gather to present cantatas, oratorios, passions, orchestral works, and chamber music. Particularly special are performances of Bach's complete cantata cycles and major works like the St. Matthew Passion, the B Minor Mass, and the Christmas Oratorio.

Beyond concerts, the festival offers lectures, workshops, masterclasses, and educational programs that deepen understanding of Bach's work and Baroque musical traditions. Public events like the "Bach Open Air" bring this historically significant music to broader audiences.

The Bach Festival maintains a powerful connection between past and present, allowing visitors to experience Bach's music in its intended spiritual and architectural context while continuing to find fresh relevance in these centuries-old compositions. This combination of historical authenticity and ongoing artistic exploration makes the festival a pilgrimage destination for Bach enthusiasts and a significant cultural event that honors Leipzig's most famous citizen while contributing to the city's identity as an international center for classical music.