Classical
Mechanics Hall - Jeremy Denk, Bach Keyboard Partitas
Internationally celebrated pianist Jeremy Denk will perform the complete collection of Bach’s Keyboard Partitas on stage at historic Mechanics Hall for the first performance of Bach’s Birthday Bash 2025.
Jeremy Denk, piano
Jeremy Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists, proclaimed by the New York Times ‘a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs.’ Denk is also a New York Times bestselling author, winner of both the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Mechanics Hall - The Worcester Chorus: Bach Secular Cantatas
For its first Bach Birthday Bash performance, The Worcester Chorus will perform Bach’s Secular Cantatas on stage at historic Mechanics Hall.
BWV 213 – Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen
BWV 214 – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!
The Worcester Chorus, under the sponsorship of Music Worcester, Inc., has the unique distinction of being one of the most outstanding on-going choral groups in the United States. Founded in 1858 to singat the first annual Worcester Music Festival in the newly-built Mechanics Hall, the 100-member group includes both amateur and professional singers from Worcester County and throughout Southern New England.
Its repertoire includes not only the western world’s finest choral masterpieces, but also contemporary literature, arrangements of American folk songs, classics from the musical theater and commissioned works. Each year the Chorus performs with orchestras and soloists in Mechanics Hall and throughout Greater Worcester, including an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. The Worcester Chorus has also made guest appearances at world famous venues (including Carnegie Hall) throughout the Northeast and overseas.
Mechanics Hall - Handel + Haydn Society
Boston’s Grammy-winning Handel and Haydn Society will perform Bach’s Concerti for Two Harpsichords in this highlight presentation of 2025’s Bach Birthday Bash series on stage at historic Mechanics Hall, featuring harpsichordist Ian Watson.
Handel + Haydn Society | Ian Watson
H+H performed the “Hallelujah” chorus from Handel’s Messiah in its first concert in 1815, gave the American premiere in 1818, and ever since has been both a musical and a civic leader in the Boston community. During the Civil War, H+H gave numerous concerts in support of the Union Army (H+H member Julia Ward Howe wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”) and on January 1, 1863, H+H performed at the Grand Jubilee Concert celebrating the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation. Two years later, H+H performed at the memorial service for Abraham Lincoln.
Mechanics Hall - Worcester Bach Collective
The many members of the Worcester Bach Collective will join together to conclude our Bach’s Birthday Bash 2025 Series with a performance of these Cantatas from the stage at historic Mechanics Hall.Cantatas:
BWV 36 – Schwingt freudig euch empor
BWV 133 – Ich freue mich in dir
BWV 40 – Darzu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes
BWV 64 – Sehet, welch eine Leibe
BWV 28 – Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu EndeTickets grant admission to enjoy complimentary cake and champagne during the intermission.
Mark Mummert (b. 1965) is Cantor at Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA), Worcester, MA where he leads the music in all worship services, conducts the Trinity Choir, Trinity Choristers, Trinity Junior Choristers, and is artistic director of the Music at Trinity fine arts series.Mark is also the Assistant Director / Accompanist for The Worcester Chorus of Music Worcester, Inc., (Dr. Chris Shepard, Artistic Director) and the director of The Worcester Chorus Women’s Ensemble.
Prior to moving to Worcester, Mark was the 2015 Distinguished Visiting Cantor at the Lutheran Theological
Seminary at Gettysburg. Mark served as the Director of Worship at Houston’s Christ the King Lutheran Church (2008-2015) and as Seminary Musician at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (1990-2008).
A Far Cry: “For” Seasons
“Even though A Far Cry has decisively established itself as a mainstay of the Boston musical community, something about it feels perpetually fresh with every performance.” —The Boston Globe
A Far Cry has risen to the top of Billboard’s Traditional Classical Chart and was named Boston’s best classical ensemble by The Improper Bostonian. In 2023, in a testament to the group’s stellar collaborative nature, all three albums the group was involved with were nominated for a GRAMMY Award. For their Groton Hill appearance, “For” Seasons – A Far Cry’s take on Vivaldi’s iconic Four Seasons – will explore the work through a lens of nostalgia with a call to action on climate change. Along with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the program includes works by Thorvaldsdottir, Sufjan Stevens, Quinn Mason, and Caroline Shaw.