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The first Victoria Bach Festival was presented in 1976 under the direction of Dr. David Urness with the sponsorship of the University of Houston-Victoria. Currently led by Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson, today's weeklong festival celebrates not only the genius of J.S. Bach, but also the work of composers spanning the ages whose orchestral, choral, and chamber works are performed by local and nationally acclaimed artists. Over the years, Festival season has included drama, art exhibits, outdoor fairs and ballet. Free concerts and children's programming continue to be an integral part of Festival happenings and reflect a commitment to outreach and the development of new audiences for the arts.
Milestones and Triumphs
Often accepting bold challenges, the Victoria Bach Festival continues to make grand strides in both artistry and stature:
- 1984 - Invitation to perform with the newly founded San Antonio Festival.
- 1985 - Celebration of our 10th season with a commissioned work by David Ott.
- 1992 - Appointment of Craig Hella Johnson as Artistic Director. Establishment of the "New Young Artists" series, the VBF Chamber Choir, and the Bach Cantata Series. Selection of Telemann's Triple Concerto in E Major for National Public Radio's Performance Today, opening our doors to a new, national audience. NPR deemed the VBF "a Texas Treasure."
- 1995 - Celebration of our 20th season with a tour of the "Cities of Bach" in Germany and a concert in collaboration with the University of Texas Chamber Singers.
- 1996 - Performances of Haydn's Creation in Victoria and San Antonio, funded by !Arts! San Antonio.
- 1997 - Austin and Victoria performances of Bach's Mass in B minor, in collaboration with the New Texas Festival.
- 1998 - Acquisition of the Rutkowski & Robinette concert grand harpsichord, one of the finest in the world. Inaugural season of MusiCamp, co-sponsored by The Victoria College.
- 1999 - Recital by world-renowned harpsichordist Igor Kipnis and performances of two landmark works, Mahler's Symphony no. 4 and the Brahms German Requiem. Debut of the VBF website, bringing inquiries from all over the world.
- 2000 - Celebration of our 25th season with Victoria's first complete performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, welcoming a record-setting, state-wide audience.
- 2001 - Remote broadcast of updates, music and interviews by KEDT-KVRT Public Radio during Festival week. Memorable performances of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto no. 2 and Dvorak's Seventh Symphony issued on a special commemorative CD.
- 2002 - Performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams' monumental A Sea Symphony, featuring the combined 120 voices of the Conspire Choir and Bach Festival Chorus, with the Victoria Bach Festival Orchestra. Daily broadcasts by KEDT-KVRT during First Hour with Bill Clough.
- 2004 – Expanded 3-week festival culminating in the critically acclaimed performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.
- 2005 – 30th anniversary celebration. First live concert broadcast on 90.3 KEDT in Corpus Christi and 90.7 KVRT in Victoria.
- 2006 – Collaboration with Conspirare and Texas State University Chorale to perform Robert Levin’s completion of Mozart’s Mass in C minor.
Acclaim and Esteem
National Public Radio continues to select our performances for broadcast on Performance Today. We have been enthusiastically reviewed by major metropolitan newspapers; featured in Texas Monthly; declared one of the "Top Ten Hot Summer Events" by the Texas Commission on the Arts; and covered by German Public Radio. What once was hailed as "the best kept little secret in Texas" by NPR now stands upon the world stage. In recognition of the Festival's extraordinary artistic quality and its place among the nation's major music festivals, it has been awarded a number of highly prized grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, Cloyde & Ethel Lee Tracy Foundation and others.
The stimulating and genial spirit of this Festival continues to be shaped by Craig Hella Johnson's sensitive artistry and nurtured by its audiences and performers.
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