“Maybe it was the marimba.” That’s how critic Lawrence Toppman opened his WDAV review of the sixth annual Charlotte Bach Festival, held May 30–June 7, 2025. With inventive programming, standout performances, and its highest attendance to date, this year’s festival affirmed Bach Charlotte’s growing national profile—Historically Informed. Thoroughly Modern.
Co-Artistic Leaders Aisslinn Nosky and Guy Fishman led a conductorless ensemble of nationally recognized period performers through nine days of chamber-scale concerts, recitals, and educational offerings. The week opened with a sold-out screening Amadeus at Charlotte’s Independent Picture House and continued with a full performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Other highlights included Pius Cheung’s Goldberg Variations for marimba, a solo organ recital by Jerrick Cavagnaro, Mozart at the Keyboard with Cristian Makhuli and Esther Jeehae Ahn, and chamber works by J.S. Bach and his sons.
Fishman’s All in the Familie was performed entirely on five-string cello, bringing fresh color to music by C.P.E. and J.C.F. Bach. Nosky led a spirited Follia & Fantasy program featuring dazzling trio sonatas by Vivaldi and J.S. Bach – including the fiery titular variations by Vivaldi’s “La Folia.” The final concert paired Haydn’s Violin Concerto in G Major, performed with grace and virtuosity by Nosky, with a stirring, conductorless performance of Mozart’s Requiem.
This year’s 16-voice festival choir—featuring 12 professional singers and 4 Vocal Fellows—anchored several of the week’s major performances. The Vocal Fellows Program, which provides mentorship and advanced performance opportunities for emerging artists, welcomed Charli Mills, Jordan Gascoigne, Wesley Saunders, and Rozime Lindsey, who performed throughout the festival in both ensemble and solo roles.
As the festival closed, the organization marked a leadership transition. Elizabeth Hindal concluded her tenure as Board President, having played a vital role in guiding the festival’s evolution over recent years. Under the ongoing leadership of Executive Director Garrett Murphy, Bach Charlotte looks ahead to an ambitious new chapter.
In 2026, the organization will adopt a festival-only season model, launching the inaugural Winterfest (January 28–February 1, 2026) and returning with the seventh annual Charlotte Bach Festival (May 29–June 6, 2026). Program announcements are coming soon.
At Charlotte Bach Festival, early music isn’t a museum piece—it’s alive, urgent, and evolving.
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