Jos von Veldhoven (in photo) and Craig Hella Johnson have been named artistic partners to lead the Oregon Bach Festival. Photo courtesy of Netherlands Bach Society.
In Saturday’s (1/20) Oregon ArtsWatch, Brett Campbell writes, “The Oregon Bach Festival’s… search for stable artistic leadership has finally reached its goal. On Friday, after a years-long search process, the festival announced that Jos van Veldhoven, the longtime artistic director of the Netherlands Bach Society, and Conspirare artistic director Craig Hella Johnson will be the festival’s new artistic partners. ‘Johnson and van Veldhoven are charged with shaping the Grammy-winning festival’s artistic vision, contributing to the development of the festival’s annual concert schedule, and cultivating artist relationships that result in new works and commissions,’ reads the announcement from its parent organization, the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance.” The pair will work with the artistic leaders of the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus, Oregon Bach Festival Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy, University of Oregon Chamber Choir, and Oregon Bach Festival Organ Institute. “The festival has lacked a unified artistic leader since … 2017…. Veldhoven [has] been artistic director of the Netherlands Bach Society for more than 35 years … Leader of the great Austin-based vocal ensemble Conspirare, Johnson [is] a protégé of Bach Festival co-founder Helmuth Rilling, composer, nine-time Grammy winner, [former] director of choral studies at the University of Texas … and now artist in residence at Texas State.”
