WINTER PARK, Fla. – An organization with 90 years of history in Winter Park is bringing the warmth of the holidays with carols and hymns from an award-winning orchestra and choir.
The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park will be performing “A Classic Christmas” on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15 at the Knowles Memorial Chapel at Rollins College.
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The nonprofit organization was first founded in 1935 at Rollins College to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birth by presenting the composer’s orchestral and choral music to the public.
Early on, the organization decided to keep its partnership with Rollins, while also being its own entity.
John V. Sinclair has been the artistic director and conductor of the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park for 35 years.
“I always like to tell people about how when Bach first started, it was a few people singing at a vespers service at Rollins. Now, we have 20-25 performances per season, we have a 180+ person oratorio choir, a professional orchestra, and our own professional ensemble, called the Bach Vocal Artists,” Sinclair said.
“This is significant. We change with the times, we modernize where needed. We offer modern groups in our visiting artist series—like JIJI Guitar, King Singers, and Voctave—while still staying true to where we came from," he went on to explain.
The Bach Festival Society is the third-oldest continuously operating Bach Festival in the U.S. and Central Florida’s longest-running performing arts organization.
“You will never meet a more dedicated group of individuals than our choir. They all go through a rigorous audition process to be accepted into the choir and from there, they sacrifice a tremendous amount of time to help create this beautiful music. The choir is entirely made up of volunteers of the highest caliber, and it is an honor to work with them,” Sinclair said.
“A Classic Christmas” is considered a holiday staple in Winter Park. Sinclair said he appreciates just how much the show brings people together.
"While words might tell you how to think, music helps us know how to feel. So my favorite aspect of our Christmas Classic concert is community spirit present and the emotional impact it has on each person."
There’s afternoon and evening show times on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15. Click here for ticket information.
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