Local musicians to perform at Sonora Bach Festival’s Locals Concert

• WHAT: Sonora Bach Festival Locals Concert

• WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22

• WHERE: Columbia Presbyterian Church of the 49ers, 11155 Jackson St., Columbia

• COST: $15

• INFO: www. sonorabach.org

The Sonora Bach Festival will present its Locals Concert featuring talented vocalists and instrumentalists from the Mother Lode at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22.

The event will be held at the Church of The 49ers in Columbia. Tickets are available for $15 at the Mountain Bookshop, online at www.sonorabach.org, or by calling (209) 536-6330.

The Sonora Bach Festival will feature 13 local performers in the final event of the 2021-22, spring festival. There will be a variety of instrumentalists and vocalists performing solos and ensembles. Included will be guitar, cello, piano, organ, flute, vocal solos, and vocal ensembles.

Music to be performed on Sunday includes the music of Bach, Caccini, Mozart, Tarrega and Mendelssohn.

“The performers are all local adults who are active in the classical music scene,” said board member and concert participant Marguerite Close. “This concert is always a wonderful opportunity for our festival to highlight some of the fine musical talent that is part of our community. We have an amazing wealth of musical talent in this community that is worth hearing.”

Most of the talented musicians in Sunday's concert make their living doing something other than music. These occupations include, in part, a chef; physical therapist; a retired project manager for General Electric; a bookkeeper; and a massage therapist. Also represented are music professionals including six music teacher/performers. Participants in the event will be Keith Evans, guitar; Pauls Slemmons, cello; Bethany Winters, piano; Joy Willow, soprano; Diane Wright, mezzo soprano; Marguerite Close, soprano; Will Kiel, guitar; David Ingram, organkeyboard; Janet Telford, flute; Gail Johnson, piano; Enoch Samraj, baritone; John Carter, conducting; and Dorothy Arndt, piano.

“All of the participants love music and find it to be an extremely important part of our lives,” said Close. “We have all spent many, many hours of our lives taking lessons and practicing. So an event like this is really important to us. We come from different vocational backgrounds, but we all take our music very seriously, and we all love it.”

The Sonora Bach Festival has been in existence for over 46 years. Begun by former Twain Harte resident and composer Carl Wirth on a cabin porch in Twain Harte, the festival has expanded to five or six events each October. COVID forced the festival to cancel in

2020 and scale-down, somewhat, in 2021-22. But plans are already underway for a full festival this October.

“As a performer, it is always a thrilling event to see our friends and family participating in this concert” said Close. “There is a real sense of camaraderie in the room that is unlike anything else, and that strengthens our commitment to making music in the foothills.”

— Submitted by the Sonora Bach Festival Board of Directors