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On-demand interviews with local and national classical music artists.

Baldwin Wallace Bach Institute Celebrates a Half Century

photo courtesy of Christina Fuhrmann

The Riemenschneider Bach Institute (RBI) is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of concerts and talks and quietly transforming from a strictly scholarly archive into a rich resource for the broader musical community.  “What you’re seeing is a fairly monumental shift,” said Susan Van Vorst, dean of the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory.  “It’s been powerful, and it’s having quite a significant impact on the whole conservatory.”  WCLV's Bill O'Connell speaks with BW Music History & Literature professor Christina Fuhrmann, who is also editor of the Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute.  They talk about the history of the Institute that was once a place visited only by scholars and the occasional student researcher. Now, the one-of-a-kind documents in its vault are open to all those in search of a little historical perspective.  And the RBI is also sponsoring a series of recitals in the BW Conservatory leading up to the annual Bach Festival in April when the St. Matthew Passion is performed at the Maltz Performing Arts Center. It's going to be quite a year!