By Ella Warren, contributor
The 34th annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival will hold a week-long concert series through June 14, offering opportunities for people to explore and appreciate the music of the prolific Baroque-era composer.
Inspired by German composer and musician Johann Sebastian Bach, musicians from all walks of life gather in Harrisonburg to celebrate Bach’s work.
Each day will feature a free, hour-long recital from noon to 1 p.m., mostly at Asbury United Methodist Church on Main Street. The full event schedule is available on the festival’s website.
These recitals feature themes such as technology in music and reimagining old pieces. The hosts will give away $50 gift certificates to participating local restaurants at each recital.
Additionally, two evening concerts will take place at Lehman Auditorium at Eastern Mennonite University on Friday and Saturday. Tickets to the concerts or livestreams are available to purchase online and are pay-as-able.
The festival also features special events such as a Rock Bach Music Night at Pale Fire Brewing Company and a Bach-inspired church service.
While the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival began in 1993 as a program by Eastern Mennonite University, 2026 marks its first year as an independent non-profit.
“It’s been really exciting: the journey of this festival from where it first started at EMU to what it is now,” Artistic Director David Berry said. “It’s about beautiful music but also community.”
The festival showcases the depth of Bach’s influence with performances in classical, electronic, rock, and other genres. The festival’s motto, “Bach is for everyone,” demonstrates how Bach’s work unites listeners of all tastes.
“Sometimes, we think classical music is a bit far removed and not for everyone, but it really is,” Berry said. “This festival [is] not only about [Bach’s] pieces, but about his influence… Whether you like rock music and want to come to the concert at Pale Fire or want to come to our orchestral concerts, there’s something in this festival for everyone.”
Berry said he was struck with the idea for this year’s theme – “creative inventions” – while thinking about Bach’s relationship to imagination.
“It comes from this idea of being inspired by beauty,” Berry said. “It represents life and humanity and big ideas.”
Bach composed a series of exercises known as “inventions” to teach his eldest son the keyboard. The festival’s opening concert on Monday featured performances of inventions 4, 6, 12, and 14 by pianist Eric Fung, the 2002 recipient of the Bach Prize at the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition.
“Creative inventions” also relates to the scientific advancements during Bach’s time, such as Issac Newton’s reflecting telescope, John Shore’s tuning fork, and Bartolomeo Cristofori’s modern piano.
Bach’s music was so innovative, it was launched into outer space. Aboard the 1977 Voyager spacecraft was the Golden Record: a phonograph disk carrying “sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth” according to NASA’s website.
“Bach’s music is literally at the end of the universe,” Berry gushed. “That was the inspiration.”
In the spirit of innovation, the festival will feature reimaginings of Bach’s music, pieces by other composers, and original arrangements.
“Some of them are composers who lived a long time ago. Some are living composers… one of the pieces, the composer will play it himself. So it spans all kinds of generations,” Berry said.
Diverse and accessible live music is also a core value of the events.
“It’s a community experience,” Berry said. “There’s nothing like live music – to sit in a room and experience something together… There’s so many wonderful venues in town of all kinds of different genres and artists… We try to incorporate all of those things into our festival in some way.”
Whether an avid classical listener or not, Berry said he hopes people will give it a listen.
“I’d encourage anyone to come try something that might be more familiar to you… then try something else that may be a bit outside your way,” Berry said.
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