Local musician Karen Bretz will join a global community — called Bach in the Subways — uniting to sow the seeds of future classical music lovers and sharing joy for their art. To celebrate the 337th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach, Bretz will play his music on the piano in the Missouri Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, March 31 from 12:00 to 12:45.
Dale Henderson, a New York City cellist, founded Bach in the Subways in 2010. Convinced that a decline in classical music audiences was due to people not experiencing live classical music, Henderson performed the Bach cello suites in the NYC subways. Henderson invited musicians to join him the following year for Bach’s 326th birthday on March 21. Bach in the Subways was born. Every March the movement grew, with musicians around the world playing Bach in public spaces open to all.
“The beauty of Bach’s music transcends social and musical boundaries and inspires strong emotions,” said Henderson. “Our long-term vision for Bach in the Subways is to spark a renaissance of excitement about classical music to, ideally, the globe.”
Bretz is a musician by avocation and works as staff counsel to the Missouri Public Service Commission. Raised in the St. Louis metro east area, Bretz lived in Alaska for 23 years; she now calls Jefferson City home.
Bretz said, “I anticipate that people are eager to hear incredible music in this beautiful space. This will be an informal concert with many Bach favorites, such as Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring and the Toccata in D Minor.”
For more information about Bach in the Subways, visit http://www.BachintheSubways.org. Bretz may be contacted at (907) 351-6591 or kbretz@alaska.net.
