Bach Festivals & Cantata Series
Kairos: A Consort of Singers
Bach Cantata Series

Name:

Bach Cantata Series

Location:

West Park, New York, USA

Venues:

Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, New York (Photos by Br. Randy Greve)

Years:

Since 2006 (Cantatas Series)

Months:

October-June (6 cantatas per year)

Artistic Director:

Edward Lundergan

Ensembles:

Kairos: A Consort of Singers

Website:

Kairos: A Consort of Singers

History & Mission:

In the spring of 2006 Kairos began an ambitious Bach Cantata Series at Holy Cross, patterned on the Emmanuel Church (Boston) model of performing a Bach cantata within the context of a service. A decision was made to present the cantatas as the central feature of a choral evensong service, with an opening hymn, a brief prayer (collect), the cantata performance, performance of an instrumental work as a meditation, closing prayer, and final hymn. It is Kairos' belief that the choral evensong service provides the best opportunity for audiences to hear J.S. Bach's cantatas in the context in which they were written while being inclusive enough for people of all faiths (and no professed or held faith). The services are always free to the public and all are welcome, regardless of religious affiliation.

In 2006, Kairos performed four cantatas, and in 2007 and 2008 the series was expanded to six cantatas. In 2009, Kairos will again present six cantatas, culminating in a special performance of J.S. Bach's Magnificat (BWV 243) and Georg Frideric Handel's Dixit Dominus in early January 2010 in honor of our 15^th anniversary. In the coming years, the series will continue to feature six cantatas per year, each chosen based on the time frame in the Church calendar for which it was composed.

Kairos has gathered the finest instrumentalists in the Hudson Valley for its Bach Cantata Series. The result is a professional, spirited and joyful collaboration which has provided audiences with wonderful, moving performances of J.S. Bach's most intimate and spiritual music. The series has elicited an enormously enthusiastic response by the public and has received wide critical acclaim.

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