American Bach Soloists Explained

American Bach Soloists
Short Name:	ABS
Location:	San Francisco
Principal Conductor:	Jeffrey Thomas

The American Bach Soloists (ABS) is an American baroque orchestra based in the San Francisco Bay Area.^[1] The orchestra was founded in Belvedere, California, in 1989.^[2] Performers share music from Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries during the Classical era, including Handel, Vivaldi, and Mozart, with modern audiences.

History

Since 1998, ABS has performed Handel's Messiah at Grace Cathedral during the Christmas season.

In February 2020, ABS released a compilation album featuring Bach's cantatas and other early music pieces.^[3]

American Bach Soloists Academy

In 2010, ABS began hosting the American Bach Soloists Academy, an annual two-week summer training program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Each year, more than 50 advanced students of early music convene for coaching, rehearsals, and classes. Following the academy, musicians publicly perform baroque selections as a part of the ABS Festival.^{[4] [5]}

Music director

The American Bach Soloists are led by artistic and music director Jeffrey Thomas.^[6] Thomas is a conductor and tenor vocalist. He studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Manhattan School of Music, the Juilliard School of Music and at Cambridge University.^[7]

Notable performers

• Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen^[8]

Collaborations

• Performances at the Berkeley Festival and Exhibition
• Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas with the San Francisco Opera Center and The Crucible in Oakland, California
• Works by Claudio Monteverdi, George Frideric Handel's Dixit Dominus, and Virgil Thomson's Four Saints in Three Acts with the Mark Morris Dance Group
• George Frideric Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks with laser lighting display by Lighting Systems Design, Orlando, Florida, in Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

Notes and References

1. News: Littlejohn. David. 2013-07-31. A Boost to the Country's Early-Music Capital. The Wall Street Journal. 2021-06-11. 0099-9660.
2. Web site: MacNamara. Mark. 2017-09-05. The Historically Informed Ego: Young Musicians Take Up the Early Music Challenge. live. 2021-06-11. www.sfcv.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20210611205932/https://www.sfcv.org/articles/feature/historically-informed-ego-young-musicians-take-early-music-challenge . 2021-06-11 .
3. Web site: Zwiebach. Michael. 2020-04-07. American Bach Soloists Grant Us Much Needed Tranquility. live. 2021-06-11. www.sfcv.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20210611205934/https://www.sfcv.org/articles/review/american-bach-soloists-grant-us-much-needed-tranquility . 2021-06-11 .
4. Web site: Kotapish. Paul. 2021-06-08. The American Bach Soloists Festival Goes Live This Summer. live. 2021-06-11. www.sfcv.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20210610074327/https://www.sfcv.org/articles/music-news/american-bach-soloists-festival-goes-live-summer . 2021-06-10 .
5. Web site: Rowe. Georgia. 2018-07-31. American Bach Soloists explore Dresden in SF summer festival. live. 2021-06-11. The Mercury News. https://web.archive.org/web/20180801111807/https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/31/american-bach-soloists-explore-dresden-in-sf-summer-festival/ . 2018-08-01 .
6. Web site: Rowe. Georgia. 2019-07-25. Summer with American Bach Soloists brings a bounty of Bach and more. live. 2021-06-11. The Mercury News. https://web.archive.org/web/20190726130650/https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/07/25/summer-with-american-bach-soloists-brings-a-bounty-of-bach-and-more/ . 2019-07-26 .
7. Web site: Oron. Aryeh. May 2001. Jeffrey Thomas (Conductor, Tenor) – Short Biography. live. 2021-06-13. www.bach-cantatas.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20010719143206/http://www.bach-cantatas.com:80/Bio/Thomas-Jeffrey.htm . 2001-07-19 .
8. Web site: Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen's Impressive Debut Recording. 2021-06-11. www.sfcv.org.