BVF

The Bach Virtuosi Festival, a world-class concert series for lovers of the baroque repertoire, brings music to residents and visitors of southern Maine. Founded by Lewis Kaplan, his vision was met with extraordinary success from the public, the press, and the artists themselves. The vision goes on in June 2018 with the same artists, the same standards, and the same integrity to the music. Restructured under the name, Bach Virtuosi Festival, Portland will once again have world class performances of Bach played with both brilliance and love.

LOCATION

Our concerts are held in intimate spaces, St. Luke’s Cathedral and Etz Chaim Synagogue, both with marvelous acoustics, so the attendees can be close to the musicians and further their appreciation for this exalted music.

CHARITABLE CAMPAIGNS

One performance this summer will be a free benefit on Saturday, June 23rd at 7:30 PM at the Falmouth Congregational Church. This free performance with violinists Lewis Kaplan and Yibin Li will benefit the Falmouth Food Pantry via voluntary contributions. The church administers this program for the needy in Falmouth and surrounding areas.

AEOLIAN CHAMBER PLAYERS, INC

The Bach Virtuosi Festival is presented by Aeolian Chamber Players, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The mission of Aeolian Chamber Players, Inc. is to advance the knowledge of music by presenting and supporting public performances of music and other programs, by commissioning new musical works, and by assisting talented students in their musical studies and early careers.

The corporation sponsored music performances and other musical endeavors by the Aeolian Chamber Players, a chamber music group performing throughout the United States and Europe, including residencies at various colleges and at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. It made significant grants for the performances of the Portland Bach Festival in June 2016 and 2017. The musicians who performed at PBF are the nucleus of the Bach Virtuosi Festival, which will be held in June 2018.

BVF MANAGEMENT

Ellie Chatto is the Administrative Director of the Bach Virtuosi Festival. A Maine native, she has provided accounting and business services to non-profit organizations in Portland for the past 26 years. She was the Director of Finance for the Portland Symphony Orchestra from 2007 until 2012. During that time, she served as the Acting Executive Director of the PSO for six months. She also worked for Portland Ovations and Portix, the box office at Merrill Auditorium. She resides in S. Portland with her husband.
Brian Kaplan is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Bach Virtuosi Festival. A specialist for independent schools, educational organizations and arts-based non-profits, Mr. Kaplan brings more than 20 years of strategic marketing experience to BVF. He recognizes how to define an organization’s distinctions through branding and the use of marketing, communications, social media, and community programs. Previously, Mr. Kaplan spent ten years in the music industry with artists, such as Lorin Maazel, Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, and record companies, radio stations and artist management.