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Bachfest Leipzig 2027

June 10 - 20, 2027

Trip Status:  OPEN

Cost:  Signature:  $5,900;   Encore:  $6,350.              Single Supplement $1,050
       
Activity Level: easy – an ability to sit for four hours!
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 PASSION

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Upon the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Bach’s masterpiece, the Saint Matthew Passion, Bachfest Leipzig 27 will make “Passion” the central theme of the festival.    Five different presentations will be given of the Matthew Passion in different versions, as well as the Saint John Passion and reconstructed versions of the lost Saint Mark Passion.

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Bachians will be blessed by Leonardo García-Alarcón and his Cappella Mediterranea’s production of the St. John Passion.  García-Alarcón is known for his holistic vision of any piece and it seems as if he choreographs every single detail to bring a stunning and memorable work of music to his audience.  He will also present Bach’s two violin concertos in a program entitled “Passioniert.”

Program

Other musicians performing at the festival include Angela Hewitt, who will play the Bach keyboard partitas; harpsichordist Kristian Bezuidenhout with a virtuoso harpsichord recital; the Monteverdi Choir under the direction of Jonathan Sells, who will intertwine Bach and Buxtehude, and many others. My favorites – tenor Daniel Johannsen and soprano Miriam Feuersinger – will, as usual, be very active throughout the festival.

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The topic of “Passion” at the festival extends to other composers, as well.  We’ll be able to hear Schubert song cycles with tenor Julian Prégardien accompanied by a romantic-era “hammerflügel”, and Claudio Monteverdi’s gorgeous Vespers for the Blessed Virgin with the Collegium Vocale Gent conducted by Philippe Herreweghe.  Bach’s cantata production will be well represented too, of course.  Michael Maul, the festival director, has chosen cantatas related specifically to Jesus and his Passion.​

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Bachfest Leipzig 27 could be exhausting, emotionally and physically, but we’ll curate the program so you’ll hear the best and also give you time to breathe.  You can choose between two packages, “Signature” and “Encore”.  The “Signature” package includes 10 carefully selected concerts/performances, plus an excursion to Naumburg, a guided tour of the Bach Museum, and attendance to a rehearsal for a peak “behind the scenes”.  The “Encore” experience includes all of the above plus 4 additional concerts, for those passionate Bachians who are willing to pack their schedule a bit more and have the occasional late-night event.

My friend Miguel Rodé, of The Cantata Trail, will join our group again next year and will be teaching us in depth about the Bach cantatas that we’ll hear during the festival.  If you’ve listened to any of his presentations on Armchair Journeys, you are aware of his expertise and great teaching skill.  

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I invite you to join us in our musical home, Leipzig, an easy town to get around.  It is flat – no hills to climb – and performances are scheduled so you don’t have to hurry (too much) from one to another.​

Accommodations

Accommodations

We will stay at the centrally located Melia Innside for the duration.   From the breakfast room of the Innside, you can stare at St. Thomas Church and reminisce about the wonderful concerts you’ve heard there or are about to hear.    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.  The trip price includes the nights of June 9 and 20, so you can fully appreciate the festival from the first day onward.

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Hosts

YOUR 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. He also teaches regularly at Edmonds College’s Creative Retirement Institute on the topic of Bach cantatas.

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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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Corinna Meisel
 Our Local Bachian Guide

Corinna Meisel was born in 1974 in Dessau, then part of East Germany. Growing up in a city shaped by progressive ideas – from the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm to the Bauhaus, where Walter Gropius and others taught – sparked an early appreciation for culture, architecture, and the distinctive history of Central Germany.

After German reunification, Corinna spent a year as an au pair in Boston before moving to Leipzig to study Communication and Media Studies. She fell in love with the city and has lived there ever since. Professionally, she has worked in marketing and communications, mainly in the construction and pharmaceutical industries.

Corinna enjoys traveling, hiking, and discovering the cultural richness and history of the region she calls home and especially Leipzig. She is looking forward to sharing some of her favourite places and stories and showing the group why Leipzig has so much to offer.

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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.

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Cost

  JOURNEY COST:  

OPTIONS FOR BACHFEST 2027
June 9-21

 

Signature level:  $5,900 - double occupancy.  

$1,050 - single supplement

Encore level:  $6,350 - double occupancy.

$1,050 - single supplement​

 

  • Accommodations

  • Many meals

  • Approximately 15 curated performances and events

  • Priority seating at concerts

  • 1 excursion

  • Attendance at rehearsal of 1 concert

  • Guided tour of Bach Museum

  • Morning discussions led by Miguel Rodé​

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  • 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 Journey 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.
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