(July 12 – July 22, 2012) American Bach Soloists music director Jeffrey Thomas directs the annual American Bach Soloists Festival & Academy at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Come enjoy this opportunity to hear the acclaimed American Bach Soloists along with the next generation of virtuosi from the ABS Academy in an eventful 10-day immersion in the music and culture of the Baroque.

Called “the best American specialists in early music” by The Washington Post, ABS have been a standard-setting early music institution for nearly a quarter of a century under Thomas’s inspired leadership. The Festival allows concertgoers the chance to hear this extraordinary aggregation — “Some of the greatest period-instrument players in the world” (San Francisco Classical Voice) — in a variety of settings, including informative lectures, Master Classes, intimate chamber concerts, and large-scale instrumental and vocal works. Performances of Bach’s Mass in B Minor and concert performances of Rameau’s Pigmalion and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas are a few of the highlights of the 2012 festival.

American Bach Soloists Festival & Academy Information

• Public Transportation: Good (close to the Civic Center BART stop and all Market Street MUNI lines)
• Handicapped Accessibility: Excellent
• Performances/Programs: Approximately 23 programs, including concerts, lectures and master classes
• Ticket Prices: $10 – $50, depending on event and seat location. Discounts available for seniors (65+) and students with ID. All master classes and lectures are free
• Subscriptions: Subscription packages are available for the entire festival for $134 – $241, or all performances except the Academy-in-Action for $110 – $217
• Educational/Outreach: Free lectures are given by members of the American Bach Soloists Academy faculty throughout the festival; master classes and a public colloquium are also free.