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Bachfest Leipzig 2026

June 10 - 22, 2026

Trip Status:  WAITING LIST ONLY

Standard Tour Cost:
$5250, Single Supplement $1100
See other options under the Cost Section
 
Activity Level: easy – an ability to sit for four hours!
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THE HIT PARADE:
THE TOP 50 BACH CANTATAS

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If you are captivated by Bach cantatas, Bachfest 2026 is for you!

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In 2024 during Bachfest, participants were given the chance to rate their top 10 cantatas.  Bachfest 2026 will present the top 50 Bach cantatas, democratically chosen by “we, the people” -avid Bachians.

​At this time, nobody but Michael Maul (Artistic Director of Bachfest) and his private circle have any inkling of the top chosen cantatas, but I’m sure there might be some well-educated guesses.    In a series of 12 concerts, held at the Thomas and Nikolai Kirchen, the great reveal will take place.  The pinnacle of the 50 will be heard on 17 June, when the top 8 through 1 will be played, with Ton Koopman conducting the concert at Sankt Thomas and Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting at Sankt Nikolai. 

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Because we are aware that not everybody might want to sit through 50 cantatas, we are offering three options for attending the Bachfest -  1. being "The Humane option; 2. being the Run-Yourself-Ragged option; and 3.  being the Do-It-Yourself option.     Each option has a different cost related to the number of concerts you wish to attend.  The details are below, under the Journey Cost heading.​

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My friend Miguel Rodé of The Cantata Trail will join us in Leipzig.  Several mornings, he will facilitate in-depth discussions about the cantatas (if we can get Michael Maul to divulge at least some of them to us; otherwise, Miguel will choose his favorites, which will probably have a fair degree of overlap with the Top 50).  If you’ve listened to any of his presentations on Armchair Journeys, you are aware of his expertise and great teaching skill.   (He also led wonderful discussions of the Weihnachtsoratorium while we were in the Netherlands in January.)  I invite you to join us in our musical home, Leipzig.​

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Leipzig is an easy town to get around.  It is flat – no hills to climb – and performances are usually scheduled so you don’t have to hurry (too much) from one to another.

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We will stay either at the centrally located Adina Apartments  or the Melia Innside for the duration.    Close by are most of the festival venues, restaurants and shops.  

We hope you’ll join us in Leipzig next June.  Please note that the dates at the top are the festival dates.  I expect to arrive on June 10 and depart June 22. Giving myself an extra day to acclimate helps relieve the ravages of jet lag immensely.

 
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Accommodations
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YOUR HOSTS

Hosts
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Miguel Rodé 
Discussion Facilitator

​Miguel Rodé was born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay and moved to the US in 2002 as part of his career in Information Technology. He currently lives in Seattle, WA. A life-long music lover, over the years Miguel developed a special fascination with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and in particular with his cantatas and other vocal works.  In 2022 Miguel initiated a series of virtual meetings called "The Cantata Trail" with the intent of sharing this incredibly rich musical universe with some close friends. Miguel has also facilitated online and in-person workshops on the topic of Bach cantatas for Artful Journeys, the Whidbey Island Music Festival, and the Seattle Bach Festival.  Miguel has also presented several classes on the topic of Bach Cantatas at Edmonds College's Creative Retirement Institute.

As a musician, Miguel plays the baroque flute and is a member of several chamber ensembles in the Seattle area, for which he also enjoys transcribing and arranging music.

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Joan Hill
Owner, Host, & Director

In 2008, the seed of Artful Journeys was planted in her brain, when Joan brought together all of her life's passions, her love of music, an affinity for the beautiful things in life, and an ability to organize events to give birth to Artful Journeys, a program of art education trips for the soul. 

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Joan was born and raised in the apple country of the Hudson River Valley in New York; her father was a gentle, very tolerant, educated land surveyor, and her mother was the efficient business administrator and home engineer. The youngest of four children, Joan was encouraged to pursue anything she wanted, but also to do her best. Sometimes that was very difficult, especially succeeding three very accomplished siblings.

JOURNEY COST:  Please choose from one of the options listed below.

Cost

OPTIONS FOR BACHFEST 2026
June 10-22

 

Option 1 – “The More Human option”

 

  • Accommodations

  • Airport transfers

  • Many meals

  • 6 “Top 50 Cantatas” concerts (1 each by Lutz, Koopman, Vox Luminis, Herreweghe, Rademann, Gardiner)

  • 1 Andras Schiff concert:  Clavier-Übung II.        

  • 5 other concerts (including festival closing, Mass in B minor)

  • Priority seating at concerts

  • 1 excursion

  • Attendance to rehearsal of 1 concert

  • Guided tour of Bachmuseum

  • Morning discussions led by Miguel Rodé

 

Cost: $5250

 

Option 2 – “The Run-Yourself-Ragged option”

 

  • Accommodations

  • Airport transfers

  • Many meals

  • All 12 “Top 50 Cantatas” concerts (2 each by Lutz, Koopman, Vox Luminis, Herreweghe, Rademann, Gardiner)

  • 1 Andras Schiff concert:  Clavier-Übung II.        

  • 5 other concerts (including festival closing, Mass in B minor)

  • Priority seating at concerts

  • 1 excursion

  • Attendance to rehearsal of 1 concert

  • Guided tour of Bachmuseum

  • Morning discussions led by Miguel Rodé

 

Cost: $6000

 

Option 3 – “The Do-It-Yourself option”

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  • Accommodations

  • Airport transfers

  • Many meals

  • Attendance to rehearsal of 1 concert

  • Guided tour of Bachmuseum

  • Morning discussions led by Miguel Rodé

  • Buy your own tickets to concerts of your choosing

 

Note: The full festival program will be announced in October, and individual tickets go on sale on November 25th.  Our guests who choose Option 3 will be invited to a Zoom call to discuss the program and get some orientation as to the contents of the festival to help with ticket selection.

 

Cost: $4000

 

Remember, while choosing an option, that you have to sleep sometime and feed your brain, ears and body!​​

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  • There is a $1100 single supplement. 

  • Not included are personal purchases and pampering.

  • NOTE: A deposit of $500 is required upon registration to secure a place in this journey.

  • Airfare to and from Germany is not included to enable travelers to use their “travel points,” upgrade flight arrangements, or to extend their trip.

  • Travel insurance is strongly encouraged. Please see the Travel Insurance Form.

  • A full complement of Covid vaccinations is suggested to participate in an Artful Journeys trip.

To register for this journey, please click below:

Please note that PayPal remittances must go through the form on this website.  Thank you.

For details or questions, please click here to contact Joan Hill.
copyright 2025 - Artful Journeys LLC
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