Farmington Valley Chorale with Concora orchestra

Farmington Valley Chorale’s weekend concert is not just another local chorus date. It’s a full Bach program — the Easter Oratorio and the Ascension Oratorio — sung with CONCORA soloists and orchestra on Saturday, May 9, at 4 p.m. in St. James’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford. Ellen Gilson Voth conducts, and the setup matters because this is the kind of repertoire that really changes when you have chorus, soloists, and orchestra all working at full size. ### What’s actually happening? The concert is called “Bach is Back.” Farmington Valley Chorale is presenting Johann Sebastian Bach’s Easter Oratorio and Ascension Oratorio in collaboration with CONCORA soloists and orchestra. The performance is set for Saturday, May 9, 2026, at 4 p.m. at St. James’s Episcopal Church, 1018 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford. (granbydrummer.com) ### Why these two Bach works? These are festive sacred pieces tied to the church calendar, but they also work beautifully in concert because they’re bright, dramatic, and built for contrast. You get chorus, solo voices, instrumental color, and that very Bach thing where joy still comes with structure and precision. Basically, this is not background music — it’s ceremonial music with lift. (granbydrummer.com) ### Who are the featured musicians? The listed CONCORA soloists are Jennifer Ferrand-Kelly, Megan Roth, Michael McAvaney, Justin McArthur, and Jermaine Woodard Jr. The orchestra is led by violinist Andrew Smith, and Ellen Gilson Voth conducts. That lineup tells you this is more than a sing-through by a local ensemble — it’s a collaborative production with professional vocal and instrumental forces. (granbydrummer.com) ### Why does Ellen Gilson Voth matter here? Voth is not just the conductor brought in for one date. She is the Farmington Valley Chorale’s artistic director, and she has a broader Connecticut choral profile as a conductor, composer, educator, and keyboard artist. That continuity matters — it means the concert reflects an ongoing musical identity, not a one-off event assembled at the last minute. (farmingtonvalleychorale.org) ### Is this a big chorus or a niche ensemble? Farmington Valley Chorale describes itself as a community-based chorus of about 100 singers. That scale helps explain why it can take on major symphonic-choral repertoire rather than sticking to smaller chamber works. Turns out the group has also been around for more than 50 years, which gives some weight to the idea that this is an established regional arts organization, not a pop-up project. (farmingtonvalleychorale.org) ### What about tickets? The pricing is straightforward — $25 general admission and free for students. Tickets are available from chorale members, at the door, and through Eventbrite. That student-free policy is a small but useful clue about the event’s vibe: serious music, but with a clear effort to make the room accessible. (farmingtonvalleychorale.org) ### Why is this worth knowing if you’re local? Because a lot of community arts listings sound interchangeable, but this one isn’t. A century-spanning community chorus, a professional early-music adjacent vocal partner in CONCORA, named soloists, orchestra, and two Bach oratorios in one program — that’s a substantial live-music event for the Hartford-area calendar, not filler. (granbydrummer.com) ### Bottom line? If you’re deciding whether this listing is just a nice local recital, the answer is no. It’s a full choral-orchestral Bach program in West Hartford on May 9 at 4 p.m. — ambitious enough for dedicated classical listeners, but priced and framed so newcomers can walk in too. (choralarts-newengland.org) (granbydrummer.com)