Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival

Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival We like to say “Bach is just the beginning” to share our deep appreciation of the breadth of work influenced by the musical inventions of Bach.

At the intersection of harmony, humanity, and nature, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival gathers world-class artists and inquisitive audiences to celebrate the life and joy of great music. Nestled in beautiful Harrisonburg, VA on native Manahoac land in the Shenandoah Valley, SVBF prioritizes equity, justice, and environmental sustainability in our work through inclusive educational initiatives,

meaningful programming, and green practices. We are a program of Eastern Mennonite University and are proud to share the university’s commitment to peacebuilding, social justice, cross-cultural engagement, and sustainability in the arts. Every year our week-long summer festival presents vibrant performances by local artists, the Shenandoah Valley Chamber Orchestra, and the Festival Choir. Listeners can attend large and small performances of orchestra and chamber music, family and kids events, poetry readings, music talks, and local bands. Our immersive educational initiatives invite young musicians and aspiring arts administrators from all over the country to participate in our fellowship programs and learn historically informed performance practices in our Baroque Workshop. Attendees can also take advantage of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley through a number of local activities such as hiking, mountain biking, cavern tours, wineries and breweries, museums, and immersive musical experiences in our parks and nature preserves.

This make a donation to support SVBF in our mission of creating community through classical music experiences. Any amo...
12/02/2025

This make a donation to support SVBF in our mission of creating community through classical music experiences. Any amount helps! Head over to our website and choose a donation option that works for you!

12/01/2025

We are so excited to have multi-genre guitarist Jonah Barnett join us as a performer in this year's Christmas Salon Concert! 🎟 Tickets are almost gone so head over to our website and snag yours today!

Congrats to Massanutten Regional Library! 🎉
11/21/2025

Congrats to Massanutten Regional Library! 🎉

11/20/2025

We're thrilled to have jazz songstress Tina Hashemi back for this year's Christmas Salon Concert! Check out this video of her performance as a finalist in the 2024 Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition, then head over to our website and get your tickets for the Christmas Salon Concert!

Our principal conductor and assistant conductor are directing the Senior and Junior Regional Orchestras this weekend! ...
11/15/2025

Our principal conductor and assistant conductor are directing the Senior and Junior Regional Orchestras this weekend!

✨❄️ Join SVBF Artistic Director David Berry and friends for the annual SVBF Christmas Salon concert! And back by popular...
11/13/2025

✨❄️ Join SVBF Artistic Director David Berry and friends for the annual SVBF Christmas Salon concert! And back by popular demand, jazz songstress Tina Hashemi and bassist extraordinaire Jimmy Trussell once again add a sweet flavor of classic Christmas jazz to this evening of warmth, laughs, good food, and great music. ❄️✨

Check out our website for more details and to purchase tickets!

Can’t wait to hear the entirety of the piece TOMORROW!!! ✨
11/06/2025

Can’t wait to hear the entirety of the piece TOMORROW!!! ✨

So excited to have After Jack back for another performance! 🤩
10/31/2025

So excited to have After Jack back for another performance! 🤩

Introducing our next featured guest artist for the Gala Concert: After Jack! The Gala Concert will feature the world premiere of "Our story," a one-of-a-kind new work featuring world and folk musicians who make their home in the Valley and come from many different musical traditions and cultures, including After Jack! Come support local musicians and hear some great music on November 7 at 7:00 PM in Lehman Auditorium!

After Jack is a musical celebration of togetherness. Combine your most beloved musical memories with a foot-stomping string band and top it off with harmonies that spring straight from the soul of the mountains, and you’ve got After Jack.

After Jack hails from Ferrum, VA, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The all-female trio performs music from, and inspired by, the rich musical traditions of the region. Founding members Rachel and Emily Blankenship-Tucker met in 2010, while working as professional actors in a regional theatre company, The Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre, and its touring production, the Jack Tale Players. Much of their ongoing work as performers is focused on celebrating the oral traditions of the Blue Ridge region through dramatizations of traditional folklore and songs. In 2011, this served as a catalyst for the creation of After Jack and continues to be the foundation for their current work.

Come out to Kung Fu Tea next week and support the EMU Music Program! And then come to the Gala Concert on Nov. 7! 😁🎶🧋
10/29/2025

Come out to Kung Fu Tea next week and support the EMU Music Program! And then come to the Gala Concert on Nov. 7! 😁🎶🧋

📢 EXCITING NEWS!!! 📢 We're pumped to share that we have teamed up with Kung Fu Tea to offer a special fundraiser benefiting the music program! During Gala Concert week (Nov. 3-8), 10% of all orders will be donated to the EMU Music Program. So mark your calendars and make sure to stop by for some delicious boba tea next week! 🐉🎶🧋

We can’t wait for this year’s EMU/SVBF Gala Concert! We’ll see you there! 🎶
10/20/2025

We can’t wait for this year’s EMU/SVBF Gala Concert! We’ll see you there! 🎶

Join us on Friday, November 7th at 7:00 PM for the EMU/Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival's annual Gala Concert! This year's concert "Shared Stories," will be a spectacular evening of warmth, brilliant music making, and joy celebrating the beauty of our unique and collective stories. This will be an unforgettable evening to be sure! 🌟

Some highlights include:
*International recording artist Tony Melendez, with an inspiring story as a guitarist born with no arms
*Elaine Hagenberg's choral masterwork "Illuminare"
*The world premiere of a one-of-a-kind innovative and eclectic
new work "Our Story," featuring:
Appalachian trio After Jack
African soul artist Makinto
Ukrainian bandurist and electric guitarist Alex Lagoda
Powerhouse Gospel singer Tabatha Parrott
The Harrisonburg Kurdish/American String Ensemble
*And more!!!

As always, the concert will also feature EMU's fantastic ensembles: EMU Chamber Singers, EMU Wind Ensemble, EMU Jazz Ensemble, and the EMU Chamber Orchestra!

Eastern Mennonite University Lehman Auditorium
7pm
FREE ADMISSION
$10-$20 Suggested Donation

Eastern Mennonite University
Everence Financial
Any Given Child Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival

We are honored to have the continued support of Eastern Mennonite University as we move forward in these next steps as a...
08/20/2025

We are honored to have the continued support of Eastern Mennonite University as we move forward in these next steps as a newly independent nonprofit organization! 🙏

EMU and the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival marked a milestone in their evolving relationship, and celebrated the festival’s new independent nonprofit status, at a signing party last week!

View our photos from the ceremony and hear from those who helped shape the festival over the years: bit.ly/41bcxpR

The numbers are in, and we are thrilled to share that Bach completed his journey to Lübeck! With the help of generous do...
08/15/2025

The numbers are in, and we are thrilled to share that Bach completed his journey to Lübeck! With the help of generous donors like you, we exceeded our $185,000 goal and raised ✨$188,220✨ in contributions, sponsorships, and grants for the 2024-25 season. THANK YOU for helping us keep the music alive! SVBF truly would not be here without each and everyone of you 🙏

Address

1200 Park Road
Harrisonburg, VA
22802

Telephone

+15404324652

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Our Story

The Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival is devoted to promoting an appreciation and understanding of the music of Bach and a featured composer, country, era or people. The festival takes place on the campus of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Three featured concerts with orchestra, soloists, and choir; six chamber music concerts; a Leipzig Service; and open rehearsals infuse the Valley with unequaled musical richness. Additional offerings include internships, youth programs, Road Scholar (Elderhostel), and the Virginia Baroque Performance Academy. The Festival Orchestra, with its fine professional musicians from all over the country, produces vibrant performances. Membership in the Festival Choir, a volunteer ensemble, is open to the public and allows vocalists, both amateur and professional, to sing the most celebrated works of the orchestral-choral repertoire. The quality of the performances is first-rate. The Festival, widely recognized for its artistic excellence, has been named the “jewel in Harrisonburg’s crown” by the Virginia Commission for the Arts.