Bach in the City

Bach in the City, the music festival dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach in the churches and basilicas of Pavia, organized by the Fondazione I Solisti di Pavia, with the patronage and collaboration of the Municipality of Pavia.

Someone once said that “profound intellectual rigor and deep spirituality permeate the work of J.S. Bach, a genius in whom ancient and modern come together.”

It is in this very spirit that I Solisti di Pavia renew, once again in autumn 2025, the “Bach in the City” Festival with concert performances in some of the city’s churches, particularly those of Romanesque character, whose willingness to host the event is gratefully acknowledged to the Diocese of Pavia.

In this renewed encounter with Bach’s sublime music, tradition and innovation intertwine: the continuation of a path successfully undertaken in past years, enriched by the novelty of the new artistic direction of the Ensemble, entrusted this year to Maestro Daniele Giorgi.

The program is scheduled for October and November:

• October 8, at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, Brandenburg Concertos No. 6, 4, and 2;

• October 15, in the same venue, Brandenburg Concertos No. 5, 3, and 1.
  Both conducted by Daniele Giorgi as concertmaster.

On November 5, at the Church of San Teodoro, the Solisti will perform as a trio, presenting the Goldberg Variations.
The final concert will take place on November 12 at the Church of San Michele: Motets and Cantatas, with the Solisti in quintet formation and organ, joined by the Maghini Choir.

All concerts begin at 9:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Another interesting element of this year’s edition is an open rehearsal, held outside the city of Pavia, at the Auditorium Theatre in Fortunago—listed among the “Most Beautiful Villages of Italy”—on November 4 at 3:30 p.m.

As Sonia Selletti, President of the Board of Directors of the Fondazione I Solisti di Pavia, explains:
“The 2025 edition of the ‘Bach in the City’ Festival is a high-value tribute to the city, in keeping with the culturally vibrant season Pavia is experiencing—I am thinking of the extraordinary exhibition commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Pavia. I believe it will both welcome and amaze those curious visitors who will enter the beautiful churches to lose themselves in the performances of I Solisti di Pavia under Maestro Giorgi—and of the Maghini Choir on a November evening—I am certain they will be remembered!”