JSB Ensemble & Master Classes
Sunday 3 March until Sunday 10 March 2024
In March 2024 it's that time again! Two weeks working, rehearsing and performing with Hans-Christoph Rademann and our outstanding faculty! Two weeks in exciting musical conversation with Bach, Schütz and other masters! Two weeks full of encounters with other talents, with our enthusiastic audience, with Stuttgart and its fascinating musical life! Two weeks packed with wonderful music!
For the Bachwoche Stuttgart, the Bach Academy and its Academy Director Hans-Christoph Rademann is once again putting together an international ensemble of soloists, choir & orchestra: the Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble (JSB Ensemble). Highly talented musicians from all over the world (that's you!) grow together under the guidance of experienced teachers to form a first-class ensemble, which experiences a uniquely refreshing relationship in the interplay with the exquisite voices of the singing master class: Bach made new music!
An intensive study week with the JSB Ensemble leads directly into the Bachwoche Stuttgart, which has developed into a unique study week in its combination of scholarly reflection and practical musical work and radiates far beyond Stuttgart. The Bachwoche Stuttgart 2024 will focus on Bach's St. John Passion in its 4th version BWV 245.5 from April 1749. The JSB Ensemble and the soloists of the master classes will also perform the St. John Passion SWV 481 by Heinrich Schütz (1666) as well as other Passion music for choir and instruments in the workshop concerts.

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
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 1 to 3.
JSB 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.
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 |
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.