Right now we are currently in the midst of the third annual Winnipeg Baroque Festival. The festival started this past Sunday with Dead of Winter and All The King’s Men performing two amazing concerts.
One of the concerts that has become a crown jewel in the Winnipeg Baroque festival is the Annual Bach Marathon Concert that is hosted by the Royal Canadian College of Organists.
This Saturday at 1:00pm at Young United Church, the College will welcome literally dozens of musicians to the stage to perform and let audience members revel in the music of Bach.
The Bach Marathon Concert is something that was started prior to the creation of The Winnipeg Baroque Festival. The first marathon concert took place in 2019 at Young United Church. The concert took a hiatus with the pandemic, but now it is back with this year being the fourth marathon. This is the first year however, that the concert has teamed up with The Winnipeg Baroque Festival.
There are many performers taking part in Saturday’s concert. The roster of artists was put together by Linda Fearn who is on the programming committee. As she explains, “I sent out the first notifications in the middle of January. We notified our members and friends of the Winnipeg Centre. [of the Canadian college of Organists] I sent it to registered music teachers and asked people to share it far and wide with any contacts they may have…basically any idea we had to get the word out.” The deadline for performers was in March and from there Fearn started putting the program together.
The concert goes from 1:00pm to 3:30pm. The concert is set up in a coffee house manner. As Committee member Lottie Enns-Braun says, “People can come whenever they want…we’re going to set the room up coffee house style. There will be tables all over the place. People can just come in and take a table wherever they wish or sit at the back…stay as long as they want, leave when they need to…we’re going to have cakes and cookies for sale…they’ll be coffee, tea and lemonade…we want it to be as casual as possible.”
The cost of the concert is pay by donation. All of the money raised through the Marathon and the sale of cakes and cookies will go to the scholarship fund The Royal Canadian College of Organists has for beginner organists.
This concert is sure to be an excellent way to spend a spring afternoon. Three and half hours of Bach’s music with coffee and food what could be better? Keep all parts of your soul satiated with the music of Bach, and keep your body satiated with some food and drink…truly a marvelous way to spend an afternoon.
The Bach Marathon Concert as hosted by the Canadian College of Organists and the Winnipeg Baroque Festival takes place this Saturday, April 20th at 1:00pm at Young United Church. For more details visit the RCCO’s website or visit the Winnipeg Baroque Festival’s website.
