Washington Bach Consort

10/13/2026

Get to know Thomas Cooley! 🎶

In this video, Cooley talks about the music featured in Dolcissima Speranza and shares a bit about himself, his background, and his interests.

Join Thomas and our musicians for an evening of early Italian music by Peri, Caccini, Monteverdi, d’India, and Strozzi.

Featuring: Thomas Cooley, tenor; Freya Creech, violin; Adam Pearl, harpsichord; Dušan Balarin, theorbo; Alexa Haynes-Pilon, viola da gamba & cello.

📍 October 23 in DC and October 24 in Alexandria.

🎟️ Tickets at bachconsort.org!

10/08/2026

Highlighting works by Peri, Caccini, Monteverdi, d’India, and Strozzi, “Dolcissima Speranza,” presented by renowned tenor Thomas Cooley, brings together music inspired by one of the most enduring stories in Western music: Orfeo’s journey into the underworld in search of Euridice.

Featuring: Thomas Cooley, tenor; Freya Creech, violin; Adam Pearl, harpsichord; Dušan Balarin, theorbo; and Alexa Haynes-Pilon, viola de gamba & cello.

DOLCISSIMA SPERANZA
October 23 (DC) & 24 (VA)

🎟️ Tickets are on Sale Now!

10/07/2026

A few snapshots from Sunday’s Chorale Architecture at National Presbyterian Church. It was a thrilling afternoon of Bach, from the familiar beauty of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” to the intricate chorale settings that shaped the program.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the first Director’s Series concert of the season, and to our wonderful musicians, soloists, and Artistic Director Dana Marsh for bringing this extraordinary music to life.

Missed this one? You can hear us next for Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, December 12 at National Presbyterian Church and December 13 at Falls Church Episcopal. Join us for this beloved holiday tradition with the Washington Bach Consort and Dana Marsh.

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now!
🔗 Link in our bio

📸 Mauricio Castro

10/04/2026

A little more from yesterday’s rehearsal: a snippet of “Wenn kömmst du, mein Heil?” from Bach’s Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140), featuring soprano Elijah McCormack and Paul Max Tipton.

More to come this afternoon from National Presbyterian Church. The concert begins at 4 pm today, and tickets will be available at the door!

10/04/2026

A gray, rainy Sunday calls for a little Bach. ☁️🎶

👀 Here’s a glimpse from yesterday’s rehearsal of “Wachet Auf,” the opening chorale from Bach’s BWV 140. If the weather isn’t bringing much beauty today, we’re hoping the music will.

Join us this afternoon at 4PM for Chorale Architecture, the first Director’s Series concert of the season. Our free Talking Bach pre-concert lecture begins at 3PM, and parking is free 😉.

🎟️Tickets will be available at the door.

We hope to see you there!

06/09/2026

Ten years ago today, we lost our founder and beloved Artistic Director, Dr. J. Reilly Lewis.

Reilly was the heartbeat of the Washington Bach Consort. His love of Bach was infectious, and he had a rare gift for making everyone feel welcome—whether longtime supporters, first-time audience members, or musicians sharing the stage with him.

Even after a decade, his love for Bach and commitment to excellence continue to guide our work. As we now look ahead toward the 50th anniversary of the organization he founded, the community he built continues to gather around the music he loved, and his influence can still be felt throughout the Consort.

Today, we celebrate his life with gratitude and cherish the friend we miss.

We’d be remiss not to end without Reilly’s signature signoff, “Hoch lebe Bach!”

We invite you to join us in celebrating his life by sharing your memories of Reilly in the comments below.

a film by H. PAUL MOONmusic performed by WASHINGTON BACH CONSORTp...

05/11/2026

Thank you for this STUNNING review Opera Today!

Composer Arnold Bax once compared Bach’s last movements to “the running of a sewing machine.” If that be the case, surely they constitute the most epic runnings of sewing machines one can expect to hear in their lifetime, as evidenced by the Washington Bach Consort’s recent performance of Ba...