Bach in the Subways is a grass-roots movement to bring public attention to classical music, mainly through free concerts in celebration of the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21). First performed as solo concerts in the New York City Subway in 2010 by cellist Dale Henderson, by 2015 events were performed by thousands of musicians in 129 cities in more than 39 countries, and every March since, for Bach's birthday, performances are given by thousands of musicians in hundreds of locations around the world.[1]
Bach in the Subways was originally conceived and executed as a solo project by cellist Dale Henderson beginning in early 2010, when he began a campaign of frequent performances of the Bach Cello Suites in the New York City Subway. Instead of putting out a tip jar and asking for money from subway passengers, Henderson flipped the usual scenario upside down: he refused donations and offered listeners free souvenir postcards with an iconic image on the front, and the following message on the back:
More people listen to classical music today than ever before. The internet provides instant access to a genre whose global popularity increases yearly. Ironically, the number of Americans who attend live classical music events continues to dwindle. Many feel this trend threatens the future survival of classical music in this country.The Bach Solo Cello Suites are perfect ambassadors for classical music: their power and beauty unfailingly inspire great appreciation, joy and deep emotion in those who hear them. I perform the Suites in the subways of New York City to sow the seeds for future generations of classical music lovers.
Announcing on the Bach in the Subways Facebook and Twitter pages where and when he would appear on the day of performances, Henderson's work attracted attention from various media and musicians, notably an October 2010 video piece by CNN's Tawanda Scott entitled “He’s playing to save the music,”[2] and an endorsement on Facebook by jazz saxophonist Brandon Marsalis.[3] Henderson continued this intensive campaign of performances, often appearing two to three times a week, throughout 2010, 2011, and the earlier months of 2012, after which he continued to give Bach in the Subways performances but scaled back somewhat in frequency.
On March 10, 2011, Henderson posted the following message on the Bach in the Subways Facebook page:
Musicians: pick any subway station & any time between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 21, play Bach, and when people try to give you money don't take it. Just tell them it's Bach's birthday, and to enjoy the music. This is Bach in the Subways Day! If interested contact me.…
Two cellists, Michael Lunapiena and Eric Edberg, cello professor at the DePauw University School of Music in Indiana, responded to Henderson's call to action and the three of them offered Bach Cello Suites to New York City Subway passengers in various stations throughout the city on March 21 – Bach's 326th birthday.
In March 2012, Henderson again circulated the call to action and attracted the attention of oboist Kristin Olson, whose enthusiasm and energy for the project helped increase interest among musicians. For Bach's 327th birthday 13 musicians in New York joined the effort, and for the first time Henderson had special Bach in the Subways Day cards designed and printed for musicians to distribute during their performances. The cards featured on their front the picture of Bach wearing a party hat which has since come to symbolize the Bach in the Subways movement around the world, and, on the back, a message:
Wednesday, March 21, 2012 is Johann Sebastian Bach’s 327th birthday. To celebrate his life and music, and to sow the seeds for future generations of classical music lovers, musicians will be performing Bach in the Subways in stations throughout New York City throughout the day. We do not want money, but simply ask that you listen and open yourself up to the power of the music.
The day's festivities were covered in The Wall Street Journal, including a multimedia piece by Daniella Zalcman,[4] and in another multimedia piece by New York's Classical Music Radio Station, WQXR-FM featuring performances by baroque cellist John Mark Rozendaal and other Bach in the Subways Day performers.[5]
For Bach's 328th birthday in 2013, the number of participating musicians grew to 45 and spread to Boston, Cincinnati, Miami, and Montreal. In New York, a 17-piece chorus organized by Stephen J. Herschkorn and calling themselves "Untersingen: The Bach Edition" roamed the subways offering Bach to straphangers. Henderson again armed musicians with Bach in the Subways Day cards to distribute to audiences while they performed, and New York's WQXR covered the festivities for a second year, this time offering a Google Maps interactive map on their website, with pins detailing all New York performances.[6] This, along with coverage from Time Out New York,[7] led to "Bach hopping' – fans travelled from performance to performance, taking pictures and shooting video.[8]
While beginning work on Bach in the Subways Day 2014, Henderson was approached by Los Angeles-based classical music enthusiast and photographer Jeehyun Lee, who was interested in organizing Bach in the Subways Day in Los Angeles. This was the first time an organizer other than Henderson worked on Bach in the Subways Day, and marked the beginning of an inflection point in the growth of the movement. Bach in the Subways Day 2014 was joined by 77 musicians in 12 cities in 4 countries, including 22 performers organized by Lee in Los Angeles, and a quartet of three cellos and a tuba on a moving subway train in Taipei. It was the first year a Bach in the Subways website offered Google map pins and listings for all the performances.
In the months following Bach in the Subways Day 2014, Henderson was contacted by amateur and professional musicians as well as musical organizations in Seattle, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, and cities in Germany, all interested in organizing Bach in the Subways Day in their cities. In addition Henderson and Seattle organizer Rob Solomon, a professional anesthesiologist and amateur pianist and Bach lover, began a global email outreach campaign to invite musicians across the world to join Bach in the Subways Day 2015. On March 21, 2015, Johann Sebastian Bach's 330th birthday, thousands of musicians in 130 cities in 40 countries participated in the fifth Bach in the Subways Day.
| Ccountry | Town | Performance | Instruments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | Argencello at Plaza de la Constitución | cellos |
| Buenos Aires | Las Nereidas at Galileo Galilei Planetarium | string quartet | |
| Australia | Melbourne | Australian Bach Society at The Block Arcade | guitars, flute, violin, cello, saxophone & Uilleann pipes |
| Sydney | University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music Senior Lecturer in Piano Daniel Herscovitch and students at Macquarie Street | piano | |
| Botany Bay | University of Sydney faculty Steven Machamer at Mascot Station | vibraphone | |
| Perth | University of Western Australia Cello Ensemble at Brookfield Place | cellos | |
| Perth | West Australian Symphony Orchestra Principal Piccolo Michael Waye & University of Western Australia student Jonty Coy at Perth railway station | flutes | |
| Austria | Linz | Instituts für Alte Musik und historisch informierte Aufführungspraxis students at Linz Hauptbahnhof | flutes, baroque cello, baroque oboes & baroque bassoons |
| Vienna | Vienna Philharmonic Principal Cellist/Vienna State Opera Orchestra Principal Cellist Tamás Varga at Albertinaplatz | cello | |
| Belarus | Minsk | former Kiev Opera Theatre Principal Bassoon Maksim Zabara at Frunzenskaya Metro | bassoon |
| Brazil | Brasília | Academia Camerata Real at Estação Praça do Relógio Metrô | violins, viola, cello, flute, trombone & trumpet |
| Pauliceia, São Paulo | Macrisan Music School students | drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, cavaquinho, mandolin & viola | |
| Canada | Toronto | Cecllia Quartet violist Caitlin Boyle | viola |
| Toronto | Church of the Holy Trinity Music Director Ian Grundy at Church of the Holy Trinity – "Happy Birthday Bach Walk" | organ | |
| British Columbia | Kamloops Symphony Orchestra Principal Second Violin Annette Dominik at The Art We Are Artisan Market & Tournament Capital Centre | violin | |
| Toronto | Metropolitan United Church Director of Music Dr. Patricia Wright – "Happy Birthday Bach Walk" | organ | |
| Edmonton | Society for Talent Education & Edmonton Suzuki Flute & Recorder Society students & faculty at Churchill LRT Station | mixed | |
| Toronto | St. Andrew's Church Director of Music Dan Bickle & Leslie Bickle at St. Andrew's Church – "Happy Birthday Bach Walk" | organ & soprano | |
| Toronto | Tafelmusik's Christopher Verrette at Gardiner Museum & Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre | violin | |
| Toronto | Tafelmusik's Patricia Ahern at Toronto Reference Library & Royal Ontario Museum | violin | |
| Toronto | Toronto Symphony Orchestra members | mixed | |
| China | Hong Kong | KinderU Suzuki Music Academy at Central Terminal & Wanchai Subway | violins, violas & cellos |
| Ecuador | Guayaquil | Calmus Ensemble at José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport | vocal quintet |
| England | Huddersfield | Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra cello section – Bach in the Pubway at the Flying Ferret | cellos |
| London | Royal Orchestral Society at Tottenham Court Road tube | string orchestra | |
| Finland | Helsinki | Finnish Baroque Orchestra members | cello & viola |
| Georgia | Tbilisi | Zakaria Paliashvili Central Music School students at Vake Park | chamber orchestra & chorus |
| Germany | Leipzig | amarcord at Markt, S-Bahn-Station | vocal quintet |
| Bonn | Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 at Uni-Markt metro stop | chamber orchestra | |
| Hannover | Capella St. Crucis at Markthalle, Steintorplatz & Hauptbahnhof, Eingangshalle | mixed choir | |
| Dresden | Dresden Philharmonic conducted by Kazuki Yamada at Frauenkirche | orchestra | |
| Dresden | Ensemble Mediterrain members at Theaterplatz & on moving trolley | violin, viola & cello | |
| Heidelberg | Heidelberger Studentenkantorei & instrumentalists conducted by Christoph Andreas Schäfer at Willy-Brandt-Platz | choir, marimba, guitar, bassoon & violone | |
| Leipzig | Leipziger Universitätschor members at Markt Station | vocal | |
| Leipzig | Madrigio & Matthias Schubotz with forum Thomanum students at Markt Station | choirs | |
| Leipzig | Mendelssohn-Orchesterakademie members at Hauptbahnhof, S-Bahn-Station | violin & flute | |
| Bonn | Münsterplatz – The Cast | vocal & piano | |
| Leipzig | Musikschule Leipzig at Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz S-Bahn-Station | mixed | |
| Mülheim (Ruhr) | Musikschule Mülheim students & faculty at Mülheim (Ruhr) Hauptbahnhof | mixed | |
| Gelsenkirchen | Musikverein Gelsenkirchen Neue Philharmonie Westfalen members at Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof | choir & strings | |
| Kassel | Staatsorchester Kassel at Opernplatz | various ensembles | |
| Leipzig | University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig students at Hauptbahnhof, S-Bahn-Station | mixed | |
| Paderborn | University of Paderborn students & piano faculty Eckhard Wiemann at Libori Galerie | mixed | |
| Hungary | Budapest | Ádám Jenő Music School students, Musica Florens, Ditta Rohmann, Széchenyi University Flute Professor Gergely Ittzés, Franz Liszt Academy of Music Viola Professor Péter Bársony at Kálvin tér subway station | mixed |
| Budapest | All Budapest Bach in the Subways musicians led by University of Pécs faculty Salamon Kamp in front of St. Stephen's Basilica | choir & orchestra | |
| Budapest | Balázs Fülei, György Lakatos, Mihály Demeniv, Lutherania Choir & others at Great Market Hall | piano, trumpet, trombone, violin, bassoon, accordion & choir | |
| Budapest | Ditta Rohmann, György Lakatos, Klára Bábel and others at the Astoria | cellos, bassoons, saxophone, syrinx, flute & harp | |
| Székesfehérvár | Hermann László Conservatoire faculty & students at Kossuth utca 3 | flutes & pianos | |
| Budapest | Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music students Ibolya Vörösváry & Márton Vörösváry at Petőfi tér | viola & violin | |
| Székesfehérvár | Miklós Teleki & friends at Saint Imre Church | organ, soprano & trombone | |
| Székesfehérvár | Primavera Mixed Choir & Alba Regia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Béla Drahos at Alba Plaza shopping center | choir & orchestra | |
| Budapest | Schola Cantorum Budapestiensis, Járdányi Pál Music School Choir, Fischer Annie Music School Choir, Madách High School Choir, Hungarian Tuba Ensemble & Lutherania Choir at Deák Ferenc tér | organ & choirs | |
| Ireland | Cork | CIT Cork School of Music students at Crawford Art Gallery | chamber choir |
| Italy | Milan | Cambristi at Duomo metro station | Milan |
| Campobasso | Conservatorio di Musica "Lorenzo Perosi" students & faculty at Railway Station of Campobasso | harpsichords, flutes, violins, double basses, violas, voices, bassoons, guitars, marimbas & accordions | |
| Rome | Rinaldi–Meniconi Duet at the Church of San Tommaso da Villanova | violin & harpsichord | |
| Venice | Venetia Antiqua with Liesl Odenweller at St. George's Anglican Church | soprano & baroque chamber ensemble | |
| Japan | Tokyo | Asagaya Ainebitte Music School students at Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower | orchestra |
| Tokyo | Chika Edanami & NHK Symphony Orchestra Assistant Concertmaster Rintaro Omiya at Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower | violins | |
| Tokyo | Duo Cosmos at Furomae Cafe | piano four hands | |
| Osaka | Yoshinori Nishitsuji and friends at Rinku Papillio "Star of Square" | violin, piano & accordion | |
| Nara | Ikaruga Hall foyer Natsuki Umemoto (R) ＆ Yoshinori Nishitsuji | recorder & accordion | |
| Nara | Trattoria Maezawa Mitsuki Fukuhara(P),Natsuki Umemoto(R),Yoshinori Nishitsuji | piano,recorder & accordion | |
| Tokyo | Kenji Nakagi at Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower | cello | |
| Koyasan | "Bach in Japan’s 1200 Year Old Buddhist Town" Yoshinori Nishitsuji & Rika Onoue (S) | accordion, piano & soprano | |
| Tokyo | Leipzig Bach Competition 1st Prize Winner Seiji Okamoto at Yamate Church | violin | |
| Hiroshima | Mihara Chamber Orchestra | flute & string orchestra | |
| Tokyo | Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra Principal Oboe Tomoyuki Hirota & chamber orchestra at Omotesando Hills | chamber orchestra | |
| Tokyo | Wieniawski Competition winner Keiko Urushihara, University of Music Detmold Piano Professor Jacob Leuschner, Morita String Quartet violinist Masahiro Morita & cellists Kenji Nakagi & Christopher S. Gibson at Hakuju Hall | cellos, violins & cembalo | |
| Lithuania | Vilnius | Baroque Contempo (former Sel member Silvija Pankūnaitė, former Pieno lazeriai member Vytis Smolskas & soprano Karolina Glinskaitė) at Vilnius Railway Station | voices & piano |
| Mexico | Mexico City | Conservatorio Nacional de Música de México – "A Little Homage to Bach in Mexico" | violin, clarinet, French horn, tuba & Piano |
| Chihuahua | Philharmonic Orchestra of the State of Chihuahua, Sistema Musical Se´Wá, Kapellmeister Ensamble Coral, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua Conservatorio de Música faculty, students & symphony orchestra | mixed | |
| New Zealand | Auckland | Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's APO Young Achievers at Britomart Transport Centre | string quartet |
| Wellington | New Zealand School of Music students at Lambton Quay & Wellington Railway Station | viola & cello | |
| Wellington | New Zealand String Quartet's Helene Pohl & Rolf Gjelsten at City Gallery | violin & cello | |
| Dunedin | University of Otago Executant Lecturer of Cello Heleen du Plessis with Elaine Wilden at Dunedin Hospital | cellos | |
| Dunedin | University of Otago Executant Lecturer of Cello Heleen du Plessis, University of Otago students & Southern Sinfonia members – "Cellists of Otago" at St Paul's Cathedral, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum & Dunedin Railway Station | cellos | |
| Nigeria | Lagos | Devon Carpenter at Lagoon Restaurant | Celtic harp |
| Norway | Bergen | Fana Unge Strykere at Strømgaten 2 Railway Station | cellos & violins |
| Kristiansand | University of Agder students at the University of Agder, Sandens, Kristiansand Airport & Sørlandets Travpark | piano, voice, clarinet & double bass | |
| Philippines | Makati, Muntinlupa & Quezon City | Manila Symphony Orchestra at Ayala Malls | mixed |
| Muntinlupa | Manila Symphony Orchestra with Renato Lucas & Karen Fatima Francisco at Corte de las Palmas | orchestra, cello & piano | |
| Portugal | Castelo Branco | Escola Superior de Artes Applicadas students at Central Bus Station & Sacristia da Sé Concatedral | violins, bass, guitar, piano, harpsichords & vocal |
| Lisbon | Holland Baroque Society founder Tineke Steenbrink with João Ramos Marta, Alieke Pijl & Anna Schweizer | harpsichord, flutes & cello | |
| Puerto Rico | Old San Juan | Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico Professor Luis Hernández-Mergal Bach Open House | piano |
| Scotland | Glasgow | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland students at Glasgow Subway | mixed |
| Singapore | Singapore | T’ang Quartet at Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station, The Tube at Orchard Gateway, Raffles City Shopping Centre, CityLink Mall & Bayfront MRT Station | string quartet |
| Slovenia | Ljubljana | University of Ljubljana Academy of Music students at the Academy of Music, Adamič-Lundrovo nabrežje 2 & Pasaža Maximarketa | mixed |
| South Africa | Johannesburg | Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble at Nedbank Diepkloof Square | violins |
| South Korea | Seoul | Arietta Ensemble & Magic A at Children's Grand Park Station | vioin, viola, clarinet & piano |
| Seoul | Educastra at Yeouinaru Station | brass band | |
| Seoul | Ryeon Flute at Samgakji Station | flute trio | |
| Seoul | Seoul Motet Choir & Vermeer's Friends at COEX Mall | string ensemble | |
| Spain | Seville | Escuela de Música Joaquín Turina students at Puerta Jerez metro station | orchestra, cello quartet, guitar duo & violins |
| Pamplona | HelloCello! at Civivox Condestable | cellos | |
| Sweden | Lund | LIMUS Music School | mixed |
| Stockholm | Swedish String Teachers' Association members at Stadion metro station | strings | |
| Taiwan | Kaohsiung | "Bach in Formosa" | violin, viola, cello, trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, flute & vocal |
| Thailand | Bangkok | College of Music at Mahidol University faculty & students at Kamphaeng Phet Station | singers, strings & flute |
| Ukraine | Lviv | Cantus Chamber Choir, Youth Academic Symphony Orchestra INSO-Lviv conducted by Natalia Ponomarchuk, Dudaryk Choir, Lviv State Musical College Youth Choir, St. Olga and Elizabeth Cathedral Nadiya Youth Choir, Academic Chamber Orchestra Lviv Virtuosos, Choir of The Holy Eucharist Church Soli Deo & Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra at Lviv Organ and Chamber Music Hall | mixed |
| Lviv | Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra, Galician Academic Chamber Choir, Ethella Chupryk, Youth Academic Symphony Orchestra INSO-Lviv, Royal Flemish Philharmonic Principal Flutist Aldo Baerten & Lviv Chamber Orchestra ACADEMIA at Lyudkevych Concert Hall of Lviv Philharmonic | mixed | |
| Lviv | Regional J.S. Bach Festival Competition winners, Collegium Musicum members & High Castle Academic Ensemble at Potocki Palace | mixed | |
| United States | Massachusetts: Cambridge | A Far Cry cellist Michael Unterman with Kristin Olson & Tatiana Duabek at Harvard Square Red Line | cello, oboe & violin |
| Washington: Seattle | American Guild of Organists' Alan Berg All-Bach Open House | mixed | |
| Washington: Seattle | American Viola Society Gardner Competition 1st Prize Winner Rachel Matthews & students at Beacon Hill Light Rail Station | piano | |
| Florida: Fort Lauderdale | Artserve at Fort Lauderdale Library | mixed | |
| Georgia: Atlanta | Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Principal musicians Christina Smith, Elisabeth Remy Johnson & Christopher Rex at Lenox Mall | flute, harp & cello | |
| Texas: Houston | Bach Society Houston 12 Hour Bach Marathon at Christ the King Lutheran Church | mixed | |
| Massachusetts: Boston | Berklee College of Music students at South Station | chamber orchestra & choir | |
| New York: Brooklyn | Bern Dibner Library, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering (Kay Lugh) | piano | |
| Massachusetts: Boston | Boston Symphony Orchestra cellist Mickey Katz at Park Street, Downtown Crossing & Harvard Square subway stations | cello | |
| Kentucky: Murray | Bourbon Baroque Artistic Director John Austin Clark at Murry State University's Price Doyle Fine Arts Center | piano | |
| Vermont: Burlington | Burlington Chamber Orchestra at Burlington Town Center | chamber orchestra | |
| Washington: Kent | Centerpiece Jazz Band members at Kent Lutheran Church | electric guitar & electric bass | |
| Nebraska: Lincoln | Chiara String Quartet violist Jonah Sirota at The Railyard | viola | |
| California: Claremont | Claremont School of Music violin faculty Ellen Jung, Jeff Gauthier, University of Redlands viola faculty Kira Blumberg & Eclipse Quartet/Mojave Trio cellist Maggie Parkins at Laemmle Claremont 5 | string quartet | |
| California: Claremont | Claremont Symphony Orchestra violinist Yina Ma at Claremont Village Square | violin | |
| Virginia: Williamsburg | College of William & Mary Instructor of Organ, Piano & Harpsichord Thomas Marshall & Professor Ruth van Baak Griffioen at Wren Library | organ & recorder | |
| Ohio: Cincinnati | Consort in the Egg at Nordstrom Kenwood Towne Centre | recorders | |
| Washington: Seattle | Dusty Strings Music School | strings | |
| New York: Rochester | Eastman School of Music students at Hart's Local Grocers | mixed | |
| California: Santa Monica | Elemental Strings students at Santa Monica Place | strings | |
| Massachusetts: Boston | Emmanuel Music at Emmanuel Church | orchestra | |
| Massachusetts: Boston | Ensemble Terpsichore at Back Bay Station | choral ensemble | |
| Massachusetts: Boston | First Lutheran Church of Boston – "Boston Bach Birthday 330" | mixed | |
| Florida: Boca Raton | Florida Atlantic University Department of Music Assistant Professor Dr. Irena Kofman & students at Boca Raton Museum of Art | piano | |
| Washington: Issaquah | Foothills Cello Choir at Gilman Village | cellos | |
| South Carolina: Greenville | Greenville Symphony Orchestra at Hendricks Library, Hughes Main Library & Symphony Center | mixed | |
| Indiana: Indianapolis | IndyBaroque Music, Inc. members & friends at St. Vincent Hospital, Fashion Mall at Keystone & Indianapolis Public Library Central Branch | mixed | |
| Washington: Lynden | Jansen Art Center | mixed | |
| New York: New York | John Mark Rozendaal at Dyckman/200th St A Train | baroque cello | |
| Washington: Seattle | Jovino Santos Neto (Cornish College of the Arts Professor) at SeaTac Lightrail Transit Station | piano | |
| California: Berkeley | Junior Bach Festival at Downtown Berkeley BART Station | bassoon, guitar, marimba, steel drum & more | |
| Washington: Seattle | Ladies Musical Club of Seattle members at Classic Pianos & Caffe Appassionato | piano & soprano | |
| Pennsylvania: Annville | Lebanon Valley College – "Bach in 10" | mixed | |
| New York: New York | Lindsey Horner at 181 Street A Train Station | upright bass | |
| Texas: Irving | Lone Star Youth Orchestra at Irving Arts Center | mixed | |
| California: Los Angeles | Los Angeles Zoo – Sterling Flute Choir | flutes | |
| Georgia: Fort Valley | Mary Ann & David Thames at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church | violin & cello da spalla | |
| Washington: Seattle | Melia Watras (University of Washington School of Music Strings Chair) & Seattle Symphony pianist Kimberly Russ at Nordstrom Flagship Store | viola & piano | |
| Tennessee: Memphis | Memphis Public Library – Duetto Memphisto | mandolin & guitar | |
| Massachusetts: Boston | Mistral at Harvard Square | chamber orchestra | |
| California: Palo Alto | Mitchell Park Library (Andrew Lu & Emil Ernström) | flute & keyboard | |
| Mississippi: Oxford | Mockingbird Early Music Ensemble at Off Square Books | recorders, viole da gamba, harp, baroque guitar, psaltery, crumhorn & harpsichord | |
| California: Modesto | Modesto Junior College Community Orchestra at 10th Street Plaza | orchestra | |
| California: Los Angeles | MUSE/IQUE members at L.A. Central Library | cello & violins | |
| New York: Ellenville | Music Institute Of Sullivan And Ulster Counties faculty at St. Johns Episcopal Church | violin, viola & cello | |
| Washington: Seattle | Musikgarten faculty and students & Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church's Children's Choir Director Evelyn Hartwell and students at Caffe Appassionato | piano | |
| Florida: Pompano Beach | MusikMakers | mixed | |
| California: Claremont | National Cello Institute faculty Lynn Burrows & Edris Boyll-Kuzia at Laemmle's Claremont 5 | violin & cello | |
| South Dakota: Vermillion | National Music Museum – "Bach in the Museum" | mixed | |
| Massachusetts: Boston | New England Conservatory of Music students | mixed | |
| Massachusetts: Boston | North End Music and Performing Arts Center faculty David Hurtado Gómez at Downtown Crossing subway | cello | |
| Ohio: Columbus | Ohio Capital Winds at Barnes and Noble | wind ensemble | |
| North Carolina: Charlotte | Opera Carolina at Amelie's Bakery & 7th Street Public Market | voices | |
| Washington: Seattle | Orchestra Seattle violinist Jason Hershey at Caffe Appassionato | violin | |
| Oregon: Portland | Oregon Guitar Quartet at Zoo/Washington Park metro stop | guitar quartet | |
| California: Glendale | Pasadena Conservatory of Music Cello Ensemble at Glendale Metrolink Station | cellos | |
| California: Los Angeles | Pasadena Conservatory of Music Violin and Viola Program Director Mary Kelly & Lamp Arts Program students at Lamp Community | violin & soprano | |
| Washington: Seattle | Paul Taub (Cornish College of the Arts Professor) with students & Rainbow City Orchestra at SeaTac Lightrail Transit Station | flute & mixed | |
| South Carolina: Laurens | Presbyterian College Associate Professor of Music Dr. Richard Thomas at Laurens County Public Library | cello | |
| Pennsylvania: Philadelphia | Rachel's Cellist Eve Miller & friends at Suburban Station | cello, baroque bassoon, baroque flute & recorders | |
| Rhode Island: East Providence | Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School at Carter Center for Music Education & Performance | mixed | |
| California: Beverly Hills | Riko Method School of Piano at Steinway Piano Gallery of Beverly Hills | piano | |
| Texas: San Antonio | San Antonio Symphony musicians at San Antonio Public Library's Great Northwest Branch & Pan American Branch | cello & violin | |
| California: San Francisco | San Francisco Civic Symphony members at Powell Station | strings | |
| Washington: Seattle | Seattle Historical Arts for Kids, Rajan Krishnaswami & Seattle Flute Choir at Westlake Transit Tunnel | strings, cello & flutes | |
| Washington: Seattle | Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra musicians at Crossroads Mall | oboe, violin, viola & cello | |
| Washington: Seattle | Seattle Violoncello Society – "Complete Cello Suites Marathon" at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church | cellos | |
| Washington: Seattle | Seattle-Tacoma International Airport | mixed | |
| Illinois: Carbondale | Southern Illinois University Carbondale students & faculty | cello, violin & flute | |
| California: Culver City | STAR Prep Academy at The Lion's Fountain | string quartet | |
| California: Van Nuys | Suzuki Music Program of Los Angeles students & teachers at Lake Balboa Park | strings | |
| Oklahoma: Tulsa | Tulsa Symphony members at Tulsa Transit Station, Guthrie Green, Utica Square Courtyard, Woodland Hills Mall & Oklahoma Methodist Manor | mixed | |
| Minnesota: Minneapolis | Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists presented in cooperation with Minnesota Public Radio's Pipedreams at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, First Unitarian Society, Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church, Saint Paul's Episcopal Church & Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Mark | organ | |
| Massachusetts: Amherst | UMass Amherst students at Amherst Books, Subway Sandwich Shop & The Works Bakery and Café | violins & cellos | |
| California: Los Angeles | Union Station 10 Hour Bach Marathon: Pomona College cello faculty Roger Lebow, Los Angeles Organ Company, Enlightenment Music Series, Neil Galanter & Dan Arthur Fritz, Isaura String Quartet, Los Angeles Opera Orchestra violinist James Stark, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson & Palisades Symphony Orchestra Principal Bass Denisa Hanna | mixed | |
| Idaho: Moscow | University of Idaho Lionel Hampton School of Music faculty at Moscow Brewing Company | violin, trombone, guitar & cello | |
| Iowa: Iowa City | University of Iowa Cello Professor Anthony Arnone at Old Capital | cello | |
| North Carolina: Winston-Salem | University of North Carolina School of the Arts & Salem College organ studios at Crawford Hall | organ | |
| Oregon: Eugene | University of Oregon School of Music faculty Dr. John J. Jantzi in conjunction with the American Guild of Organists Eugene Chapter at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection | organ | |
| South Carolina: Columbia | University of South Carolina School of Music students at Drip Coffee | clarinet quartet, cello, guitar, flute solo & flute quartet | |
| Utah: Salt Lake City | Utah Symphony members at Salt Lake City International Airport | mixed | |
| Utah: Salt Lake City | Utah Symphony Youth Guild students at Salt Lake City Public Library | mixed | |
| Washington: Seattle | Washington Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society's Kendra McLean & Memmi Ochi at REI Store & Crossroads Mall | marimbas | |
| Washington: Bellevue | "Well-Tempered Clavier Marathon" at Classic Pianos of Bellevue/Seattle, Washington | piano | |
| Wales | Llandudno | Ensemble Cymru at The Tabernacle, Victoria Centre, Venue Cymru & BHS Store | brass |
Following the enormous success of Bach in the Subways Day 2015, which fell on a Saturday, it was decided to extend the festival to the days and weekend before or after the birthday, so performers could again participate on the weekend. Additionally the word "Day" was dropped to avoid confusion. Since then, every March countless musicians and organizations in hundreds of cities in over 40 countries around the world join the cause to bring as much live Bach to humanity as possible.