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Why Bach? Navigating 21st Century Scholarship, Performance, and Pedagogy
UMass Amherst Bach Festival & Symposium
University of Massachusetts Amherst
April 25-26, 2025
Contemporary critiques of the Western musical canon, and renewed calls for its expansion,
deconstruction, re-imagination, or abrogation, invite reflection upon the functions,
meanings, and value of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music in the twenty-first century.
Evolving aesthetic and cultural ideals reflecting efforts to promote a global perspective in
classical music invite dialogue about Bach’s continued significance today, including
with regard to performance repertoire, scholarly methodologies, and pedagogical practices.
This symposium seeks to reflect upon the continuing contributions of Bach’s life and
works in twenty-first century culture.
The symposium will feature a keynote address by Daniel R. Melamed (Indiana University),
titled “Historical Bach Performance in the 21st Century,” and an evening panel
discussion with Walter Frisch (Columbia University), Wendy Heller (Princeton University),
Daniel R. Melamed (Indiana University), and Christoph Wolff (Harvard University) on the
topic of “J.S. Bach and the 21st Century Canon.”
For the full Symposium program and livestream links, visit
