Carmel Bach Festival
StatusActive
GenreFestivals
FrequencyAnnually
VenueSunset Center
Location(s)Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, US
Coordinates36°33′06″N 121°55′18″W / 36.5517°N 121.9216°W / 36.5517; -121.9216
Inaugurated1935 (1935)
FounderDene Denny and Hazel Watrous
Most recentJuly 15, 2023 (2023-07-15)
LeaderPaul Goodwin
Websitebachfestival.org

The Carmel Bach Festival (CBF) began in 1935 as a four-day series of concerts at the Sunset School Auditorium and the Carmel Mission Basilica in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States. Over the years, it grew to a three-week series of concerts, recitals, master classes, lectures, and open rehearsals, and in 2009 the Festival was shortened to two weeks under the leadership of Music Director and Conductor Paul Goodwin.

History

Dene Denny and Hazel Watrous booked their own concerts and events in 1925 and 1926 in their American Craftsman-style home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, on the east side of Dolores Street, now called "Harmony House."[1][2] They also booked events in the Golden Bough Theatre on the southeast corner of Ocean Avenue and Monte Verde. These events laid the path for a tradition of classical music in Carmel-by-the-Sea.[3]

In 1927, Hazel and Dene organize a group of local music lovers to establish the Carmel Music Society, a non-profit organization devoted to bringing the "finest talent in the classical music world to Carmel."[3] In collaboration between Henry F. Dickinson and his wife Edith, and Hazel and Dene, they played a pivotal role in the formation of the Carmel Music Society. Henry became the organization's first treasurer and Edith served as one of its first presidents. The Henry Dickinson House, situated on Carmel Point, served as a gracious host to visiting musicians.[4]

In 1935, the Carmel Music Society co-sponsored the establishment of the Carmel Bach Festival.[3][5] The Carmel Bach Festival began as a four-day festival of open rehearsals, events, and concerts conducted by Ernst Bacon and Gastone Usigli.[6]

In 1938, Gastone Usigli was named Music Director, leading the Festival until his death in 1956. As his successor Dene Denny chose Hungarian-born conductor Sandor Salgo.[5][7]

When Salgo retired in 1991, Bruno Weil was named the Music Director and Conductor of the Carmel Bach Festival. Maestro Weil concluded his tenure with the 2010 Festival.[5] In 2010, the Bach Festival appointed Paul Goodwin as the new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor to focus on the baroque pitch, immersing audiences in dynamic programming influenced from his UK background. The 2020 Festival was canceled due to COVID-19, and it concluded Goodwin's term. In 2022, the Festival hosted three world-renowned prospective conductors; Grete Pedersen was appointed as the new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.[8]

2020 saw its season voided caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also voided from 1942 to 1945 due to WWII.

In 2023, the Carmel Bach Festival will hold its 86th Season on July 15-29, 2023.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Homes of Famous Carmelites" (PDF). ci.carmel.ca.us. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1992. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  2. ^ "Carmel Inventory Of Historic Resources Database" (PDF). The City of Carmel. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Carmel Music Society". www.carmelmusic.org. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  4. ^ "Henry Dickinson". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. April 13, 1961. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  5. ^ a b c Gordon, David J. (2014). Carmel Impresarios A Cultural Biography of Dene Denny and Hazel Watrous. ISBN 978-0-9856655-4-8. Retrieved 2023-04-12. ((cite book)): |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ "Carmel Music Society Website". Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  7. ^ Sandor, Salgo (1999). Teaching music at Stanford, 1949-1974, directing the Carmel Bach Festival and the Marin Symphony, 1956-1991. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  8. ^ "Grete Pedersen & Artistic Leadership". Carmel Bach Festival. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  9. ^ "Tickets". Carmel Bach Festival. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-18.

Further reading

  • Gordon, David J (2014). Carmel Impresarios: a cultural biography of Dene Denny and Hazel Watrous. Carmel, California: Lucky Valley Press. ISBN 978-0-9856655-4-8.
  • Hudson, Monica (2006). Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel, California: Arcadia Press. ISBN 978-0738531229.
  • Miller, Leta E. (2011). Music and Politics in San Francisco: From the 1906 Quake to the Second World War. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520268913.
  • Starr, Kevin (2002). The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s. New York; London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195157970.

External links

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