Celebrating Bach​

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Biennial Meeting of the American Bach Society

Riemenschneider Bach Institute at

Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, Ohio)

October 1–4, 2026

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For questions about the upcoming conference, please contact the ABS Vice-President.

 

Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is home to the first collegiate Bach Festival in the United States, the Riemenschneider Bach Institute, and BACH: The Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute. In recognition of BW’s long history of promoting Bach, the biennial meeting is centered around the idea of “celebrating Bach.” In both papers and panel discussions, presenters will critically investigate the past, present, and future of the many ways in which we celebrate Bach.

 

Keynote Address by Bettina Varwig, University of Cambridge, author of Music in the Flesh and editor of Rethinking Bach

 

Concert by Les Délices, the highly regarded period-instrument ensemble founded in 2009 by baroque oboist Debra Nagy

 

Organ recital and masterclass by Balint Karosi, the Hungarian organist based in New York City known for his interpretation of Bach’s organ music and his Baroque style improvisations

 

Panel discussions:

• Cantata BWV 174, moderated by Daniel R. Melamed

• Bach Festivals and Commemorations, moderated by Rebekah Franklin

• Improvisation in Bach Performance, moderated by Ruben Valenzuela

 

Scholarly papers
Exhibit of original cantata parts

 

Location: Berea is an historic, residential community just 20 minutes from Cleveland. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is three miles from the Baldwin Wallace campus.

 

Early registration deadline: June 15, 2026
Hotel registration deadline: September 17, 2026

 

Please join us — Bach scholars, performers, students and connoisseurs — for a delightful weekend of music, papers on current research, vigorous discussion, and socializing.

 

Questions? Please contact the ABS Vice-President.

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The American Bach Society is pleased to offer travel grants for this Biennial Meeting in Berea, Ohio. These awards provide up to $1,000 USD to support travel expenses and registration fee waivers for students, performers, and scholars with limited institutional funding. Eligible full-time students in the U.S. or Canada may also receive a complimentary one-year ABS membership. Applications are due by May 15, 2026, and funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. For more details, including how to apply, click here.

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