Bachwoche Stuttgart 2024

JSB Ensemble

For the Bachwoche Stuttgart, the Bachakademie and its academy director Hans-Christoph Rademann are putting together an international ensemble of soloists, choir & orchestra: the Junge Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble (JSB Ensemble). Highly talented budding musicians from all over the world (that's you!) grow together under the guidance of experienced teachers to form a top-class ensemble that experiences a uniquely refreshing liaison with the exquisite voices of the vocal master class: Bach revisited!

JSB Ensemble (Foto hs)
JSB Ensemble
JSB Ensemble (Foto hs)
in concert

What sets the Stuttgart ensemble apart from other projects worldwide is the formation of a complete vocal-instrumental ensemble, whose knowledge and skills are based on the latest practical performance findings and the wealth of experience of the lecturers, who are particularly rooted in this field. The study week with the JSB Ensemble leads directly into the Bachwoche Stuttgart, which, with its combination of academic reflection and practical musical work, radiates far beyond Stuttgart. The focus of this year's Bach Week was Bach's St. John Passion; the JSB Ensemble also devoted itself to the sister work by Heinrich Schütz (1666) and other Passion music for choir and instruments in the workshop concerts.

Faculty 2024
Prof. Hans-Christoph Rademann © Martin Förster

Hans-Christoph RademannArtistic director

Director of the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart | Chief conductor of the Dresdner Kammerchor | Professor of Choral Conducting at the Musikhochschule Dresden | one of the leading choral conductors worldwide

Kathy Saltzman Romey

Kathy Saltzman Romey
Chorus

Professor of Music Emerita at the University of Minnesota | Artistic Director of the symphonic choir The Minnesota Chorale | Choirmaster of the Oregon Bach Festival Choir | Lecturer for many years at the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart

Johann Sebastian Bach © Holger Schneider

Johann Sebastian Bach
Patron

Most famous Thomaskantor of all times, has also composed grandiose music | Regular guest at the Bachwoche Stuttgart | Sometimes not fully understandable dialect

Masterclass Recitative singing

The focus is on the two St. John Passion settings by Johann Sebastian Bach and Heinrich Schütz. The course begins on Saturday, March 02, 2024 with joint rehearsals with the JSB Ensemble. The participants of the course will sing all recitatives as well as the arias for tenor and bass respectively in the workshop concerts II to IV.

Patrick Grahl © Guido Werner

Patrick Grahl
Masterclass Recitative singing
Focus: J. S. Bach | March 6–8

Georg Poplutz © Jochen Kratschmer

Georg Poplutz
Masterclass Recitative singing
Focus: H. Schütz | March 4–5

Michaela Hasselt © hs

Michaela Hasselt
Masterclass Recitative singing
Continuo accompaniment | March 4–8

JSB Ensemble

Marcello Gatti © Michael Brauer

Marcello Gatti
JSB Ensemble | Woodwinds

Mayumi Hirasaki © hs

Mayumi Hirasaki
JSB Ensemble | Violine & Viola

Joseph Crouch © Holger Schneider

Joseph Crouch
JSB Ensemble | Violoncello & Continuo

Magdalena Fischer

Magdalena Fischer
Voice training

Rebekka Neetz

Rebekka Neetz
Voice training

Danie Karrasch © Max Zerrahn

Daniel Karrasch
Voice training

Johannes Fiedler

Johannes Fiedler
Continuo, harpsichord

Matthias Böhringer

Matthias Böhringer
Correpetition

Works & ensemble

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

St. John Passion BWV 245.5 (4th version, April 1749)
SATB & B (Christus), S (Ancilla), TT (Servus I+II), B (Petrus), Coro (SATB), Flauto traverso I+II, Oboe/d’amore/da caccia I+II, Violino I+II, Viola, Viola da gamba, Organo obligato, Basso continuo (Violoncello, Violone, Bassono, Bassono grosso, Organo)

Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672)

»Historia des Leidens und Sterbens unseres Herrn und
Heilands Jesu Christi nach dem Evangelisten St. Johannes«
St. John Passion SWV 481 (1666)
Soli TT (Pilatus, Petrus), BBB (Jesus, Knechte des Hohenpriesters I+II), Coro (SATB)

Passion music for choir and instruments

 

Ensemble

Soloists Masterclasses
4 Tenors, 4 Basses

Choir JSB Ensemble
8.8.6.6 singers

Instrumentation orchestra
traverse flute (2), oboe (2), also oboe d'amore (2), also oboe da caccia (1), bassoon (1), contrabassoon (1)*, viola da gamba (1), strings 5.4.4.3.2, continuo (organ*, harpsichord*)

* position not available

The orchestra performs on baroque instruments. The tuning is: 415Hz.

Schedule
date events
Sun, 25 February 2024 Arrival of participants choir in Stuttgart / overnight stays at Studierendenhotel Stuttgart
Mon, 26 February 2024 Transfer to Plochingen - followed by two rehearsal sessions / arrival of orchestra members
Tue-Thu, 27-29 February 2024 All-day rehearsal at the Music Center Baden-Württemberg in Plochingen, Germany
Fri, 01 March 2024 Move to Stuttgart - then continue rehearsals at the Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Sat/Sun, 02/03 March 2024 All-day rehearsal at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart
Mon, 04 March 2024 Public rehearsal / workshop concert I (Passion music for choir and instruments) Direction: Kathy Saltzman Romey
Tue, 05 March 2024 Public rehearsal / workshop concert II (JSBach / Schütz St. John Passion 1)
Wed, 06 March 2024 Public rehearsal / workshop concert III (JSBach / Schütz Johannes-Passion 2)
Thu, 07 March 2024 Public rehearsal / workshop concert 4 (JSBach / Schütz St. John Passion 3)
Fri, 08 March 2024 Public rehearsal for final concert (JSBach St. John Passion)
Sat, 09 March 2024 Audition / subscription concert at the Forum am Schlosspark in Ludwigsburg (JSBach St. John Passion)
Sun 10 March 2024 Audition / subscription Concert at the Liederhalle Stuttgart (JSBach St. John Passion)
Mon 11 March 2024 Farewell & departure
Application

Musicians between the ages of 18 and 30 can apply. Attendance during the entire period is a condition of participation. Please use the online form for your application.

Application deadline
Mon, November 20, 2023

Auditions
There will be NO live auditions & auditions. We accept your application in the form of an mp3 file, preferably as a download link (wetransfer/dropbox or similar). Please understand that we do not accept video files. Your sound files must be available to us by Sunday, November 26, 2024. The mandatory audition repertoire can be found below on this page.

Participation
Successful participants will be notified at the end of December 2023 / beginning of January 2024. All costs (travel, accommodation in shared rooms with breakfast) will be covered by the International Bach Academy Stuttgart. We will charge a registration fee of 25 €. German and/or English will be spoken in the ensemble and with the lecturers. All participants must have a good knowledge of at least one of these languages.