Music of J.S. Bach Resounds on the Upper West Side

For more than half-a-century, Upper West Side residents have marked the start of Sunday evening with the sacred music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Presented by candlelight in a Lutheran liturgical service of evening prayer, Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity is free to the community, and offers cantatas in the context for which they were originally created.

“Bach Vespers is a Sunday ritual for so many in our community,” says Reverend Timothy Weisman, pastor at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity. “We are humbled to offer this gift of peace and contemplation to our Upper West Side neighbors.”

Holy Trinity was a pioneer in presenting the works of J.S. Bach in an historic setting. The centerpiece of each service is a cantata of Johann Sebastian Bach performed by an ensemble of professional vocalists and instrumentalists on period instruments. The homily by Rev. Weisman offers insights and anecdotes that illuminate the story of the text and music.

With its signature copper spire, rose window, and red entry doors on Central Park West, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at West 65th Street has been a very visible and prominent part of New York’s Upper West Side community for over a century. The present church building was completed in 1904 and includes Gothic architecture and a Tiffany designed by the famous Tiffany Studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Bach Vespers recently welcomed Anthony Blake Clark as the organization’s sixth Artistic Director. Clark is looking forward to the opportunity to lead the cultural institution, bridging past, present and future.

“Together, we’ll encounter the historic Bach and explore his musical and physical worlds,” says Clark. “We’ll also illuminate Bach’s world through modern choral works that enhance our understanding of his message.”

Bach Vespers is the only source of free, best-in-class, early music across the Upper West Side. But perhaps most important, is its ability to bring together a diverse group of neighbors in a common moment of music and meditation.

“Bach Vespers is living art that embraces the senses,” says Rev. Weisman, “from the music to the message, to the sense of place, and the sense of community it creates.”

Bach Vespers will present five services in Winter/Spring of 2023:

• January 8th, 2023 J.S. Bach BWV 1 Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
• February 12th, 2023 J.S. Bach BWV 126 Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort
• March 12th, 2023 Bach Choral Sing featuring organist Bruce Neswick
• April 2nd, 2023 (Palm Sunday) J.S. Bach BWV 245 Johannespassion, Part I
• April 7th, 2023 (Good Friday) J.S. Bach BWV 245 Johannespassion, Part II
• April 9th, 2023 (Easter Sunday) J.B Bach BWV 249 Easter Oratorio

The cantatas are also streamed live and archived online. For more information, contact Holy Trinity at 212-877-6815.