As Cal Poly is rushing through its winter quarter, students, faculty and staff celebrate Bach Week. This year’s Bach Week ran Jan. 22-24, consisting of masterclasses and performances that are devoted to the exploration of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries, all while using replicas of instruments from the historical time.
Bach Week has been a Cal Poly tradition for over a decade and continues to bring in the San Luis Obispo community and students.
Cal Poly professor of symphony David Arrivee said the idea for Bach Week started as just a concert about 15 years ago, before it became an event. The idea for the concert was so well taken that it turned into Bach Week and has been running for 12 years.
“My favorite thing besides the music is the fact that we have such different people working together,” said Arrivee. “So I’ll have a non-major violinist in my orchestra sitting together with someone who plays in the L.A. Phil.”
To kick off the week, the first event was an instrumental masterclass with Leif Thomas Woodward, a professional cellist, and Anna Washburn, a Grammy-nominated violinist.
Students performed music they’ve been working on for an audience and got coaching from guest instructors. These performances are typically held on campus and are open for students and the community to attend.
Other events included academic lectures and performances by the Cal Poly orchestra and chamber choir.
“It’s such a privilege to be able to perform with the professionals in a setting that’s kind of accurate to how it would’ve been performed,” said pubic health and music sophomore Harry O’Connor.