Bach on the Road: A Friendship, a Journey, and an Extraordinary Organ

As someone who has called Leipzig home for more than twenty years, it is always a special pleasure to welcome Joan and her travelers to the city that has become synonymous with Bach. Every year, I'm reminded that some of life's most meaningful journeys begin long before anyone realizes where they are leading.

Thirty years ago, when Joan and I first met in Boston, neither of us could have imagined where life would take us. She certainly didn't know that one day she would be creating unforgettable cultural journeys from her home on Cape Cod. And I had no idea that Leipzig would become my home or that Johann Sebastian Bach would become such an important part of my life.

Yet somehow, Bach has been bringing us back together year after year.

Joan's wonderful motto, "The Journey of a Lifetime Starts Here," has always resonated with me. For her, it begins on Cape Cod, where she welcomes curious travelers ready to discover the world. For me, it continues here in Leipzig, where music, history, friendship, and curiosity come together in the most unexpected ways.

One of this year's highlights was our Bachfest excursion to Altenburg, a charming town in Thuringia, where the magnificent Schlosskirche rises above the town alongside the castle. Waiting inside is one of the world's great treasures of Baroque organ building: the Trost Organ.

Built between 1735 and 1739 by Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost, it was conceived without compromise. Every detail was designed to reflect the splendor of the ducal court. Even Johann Sebastian Bach traveled to Altenburg in 1739 to see—and hear—this remarkable instrument for himself.

Nearly three centuries later, we had the privilege of doing the same.

Our guide, organist Daniel Beilschmidt, didn't simply explain the instrument, he brought it to life. One by one, he introduced its 37 stops, from delicate flutes and warm string voices to its delightful chimes, revealing the astonishing palette of colors hidden within its 2,223 pipes. Then, during a beautiful concert, the organ filled the Gothic church with music by Pachelbel, Bach, Haydn, Brahms, Christian Friedrich Witt, and Johann Ludwig Krebs, who served as court organist here for nearly a quarter century.

As I listened, I found myself thinking back to Boston all those years ago. Who could have imagined that one friend would build a life on Cape Cod while the other settled in Leipzig—and that every summer Bach would reunite us with travelers who share the same love of music, history, and discovery?

That is what I love most about these journeys. They are never just about the places we visit. They are about the friendships that endure across oceans, the conversations we have, the moments of wonder we share, and the surprising ways our lives become connected through music.

Every year Bach gives us another reason to meet in Leipzig. Every year he reminds us that the best journeys are the ones we never could have planned. I feel fortunate that our own journey, which began in Boston three decades ago, continues here and that I have the privilege of sharing a small part of it with all of you.

 As someone who has called Leipzig home for more than twenty years, it is always a special pleasure to welcome Joan and her travelers to the city that has become synonymous with Bach. Every year, I'm reminded that some of life's most meaningful journeys begin long before anyone realizes where they are leading.

Thirty years ago, when Joan and I first met in Boston, neither of us could have imagined where life would take us. She certainly didn't know that one day she would be creating unforgettable cultural journeys from her home on Cape Cod. And I had no idea that Leipzig would become my home or that Johann Sebastian Bach would become such an important part of my life.

Yet somehow, Bach has been bringing us back together year after year.

Joan's wonderful motto, "The Journey of a Lifetime Starts Here," has always resonated with me. For her, it begins on Cape Cod, where she welcomes curious travelers ready to discover the world. For me, it continues here in Leipzig, where music, history, friendship, and curiosity come together in the most unexpected ways.

One of this year's highlights was our Bachfest excursion to Altenburg, a charming town in Thuringia, where the magnificent Schlosskirche rises above the town alongside the castle. Waiting inside is one of the world's great treasures of Baroque organ building: the Trost Organ.

Built between 1735 and 1739 by Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost, it was conceived without compromise. Every detail was designed to reflect the splendor of the ducal court. Even Johann Sebastian Bach traveled to Altenburg in 1739 to see—and hear—this remarkable instrument for himself.

Nearly three centuries later, we had the privilege of doing the same.

Our guide, organist Daniel Beilschmidt, didn't simply explain the instrument, he brought it to life. One by one, he introduced its 37 stops, from delicate flutes and warm string voices to its delightful chimes, revealing the astonishing palette of colors hidden within its 2,223 pipes. Then, during a beautiful concert, the organ filled the Gothic church with music by Pachelbel, Bach, Haydn, Brahms, Christian Friedrich Witt, and Johann Ludwig Krebs, who served as court organist here for nearly a quarter century.

As I listened, I found myself thinking back to Boston all those years ago. Who could have imagined that one friend would build a life on Cape Cod while the other settled in Leipzig—and that every summer Bach would reunite us with travelers who share the same love of music, history, and discovery?

That is what I love most about these journeys. They are never just about the places we visit. They are about the friendships that endure across oceans, the conversations we have, the moments of wonder we share, and the surprising ways our lives become connected through music.

Every year Bach gives us another reason to meet in Leipzig. Every year he reminds us that the best journeys are the ones we never could have planned. I feel fortunate that our own journey, which began in Boston three decades ago, continues here and that I have the privilege of sharing a small part of it with all of you.

Written by Corinna Meisel