Since then, his efforts, combined with those of Royce Saltzman as well as a veritable army of volunteers, generous donors, faithful audiences and the musicians themselves, have made the festival one of the most important events devoted to Bach’s music in the United States. The festival, which takes place amidst the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, attracts internationally renowned artists and has its own professional orchestra and choir, welcomes more than 3200 visitors each year.

Although it specialises in the great choral and orchestral works of Bach and other major figures, the Oregon Bach Festival also focuses on premieres of contemporary music. Osvaldo Golijov and Tan Dun have been artists in residence, and the first recording of Penderecki’s Credo and the premiere of Arvo Pärt’s Litany both took place in Eugene. Transmitting knowledge is another of the festival’s missions, and master classes are held every summer, along with lecture-concerts during which major works are analysed.  This year, for example, Rilling will conduct and lecture on Bach’s St. John Passion on 2, 3, 7 and 9 July; his talks will touch on the work’s structure and symbolism.

Another lecture-concert, this time centring on Bach’s E-major Violin Concerto and the C-minor Oboe and Violin concertos, will be held on 1 July. The B-Minor Mass, featuring the festival orchestra and choir and conducted by Rilling, will be given twice, first at the Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland on 27 July, and the following day in Eugene. A further sampling of the festival offerings, which combine works from a variety of periods and continents and also include high school outreach schemes includes the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy’s concert on 3 July, with works by Purcell, Tallis, Handel, Haydn, Schubert, Fauré, John Stafford Smith, Ralph Johnson and Jeffrey Ames, as well as popular songs from China.

The event will be the culmination of a 12-day workshop during which 80 young singers from all over the US will have worked together. The concert, conducted by Anton Armstrong, will be accompanied by the Festival Chamber Orchestra, with soprano Maria Jette and pianist Sandy Holder. Bach’s Magnificat and Haydn’s Heiligmesse will be performed on 6 July, while a Viennese evening will take place on 9 July. Full details at http://bachfest.uoregon.edu/