allow us to introduce ourselves

organizational history

The Bach Society of Minnesota (BSM) was formed in 1932 by University of Minnesota students wanting to sing the works of J.S. Bach, making it the oldest Bach Society in the US (other Bach Societies include: St. Louis, Houston, and the American Bach Society, based in Yale University). Over the course of its 87-year history, the artistic leadership passed from the University to the broader Minnesota artistic community. BSM has presented approximately 500 concerts, engaged some 10,000 musicians, and served over 150,000 audience members spanning six generations.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Bach Society of Minnesota is to build a diverse community of music lovers who perform, promote, and appreciate the music of J.S. Bach and those he inspired.

Core values

Our values focus on community, collaboration, and excellence. BSM strives to create respectful, successful relationships among musicians, audiences, students, and partner organizations.

staff

Matthias Maute

artistic director, conductor, composer, flautist

Award winning conductor, composer, recorder and flute soloist Matthias Maute has achieved an international reputation. In 2016 he was named artistic director of the Bach Society of Minnesota and in 2019 of the professional choir Ensemble vocal Arts-Québec. Impressed by his artistic approach, The New York Times described the orchestra he conducts in Montreal, Ensemble Caprice, as being “an ensemble that encourages the listener to rehear the world.”

Maute’s recording of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos juxtaposed with Maute’s own arrangements of Preludes from Shostakovich’s Op. 87 was hailed by The New Yorker’s Alex Ross as standing out “for its fleet, characterful approach” and “its fresh, vibrant colors”.

Matthias Maute’s compositions are published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Amadeus, Moeck and Carus. In 2014 and 2015, Maute’s 1st violin concerto was performed by soloist Mark Fewer with the St. John’s Symphony and with I Musici de Montréal. Forty-nine movements of Matthias Maute’s compositions are featured in 49 videos on noncerto.com.

Matthias Maute has made some twenty recordings on the Analekta, Vanguard Classics, Bella Musica, Dorian, Bridge and ATMA Classique labels. He is regularly invited to perform at major international festivals. Matthias Maute is co-artistic director of the Montreal Baroque Festival and artistic director of the Méénat Musica Concerts noncerto concert series. He currently teaches at l’Université de Montréal and McGill University.

Solveig Mebust

Executive director

Solveig Mebust is a Minneapolis native and has worked in the Twin Cities as a music teacher (voice, piano, woodwinds) and performer (soprano and flute) for over a decade. 
 
Currently a PhD candidate in historical musicology at the University of Minnesota, she won a Fulbright Study/Research award to perform dissertation research in Bergen, Norway, studying the role of women in the formation of nineteenth-century Norwegian music culture. She has also been awarded the Torske Klubben Fellowship, the Hella Mears Fellowship, the Lois Roth Grant, and the Graduate Research Partnership Program Grant. Ms. Mebust received her B.M. in Music Education from Augsburg University in 2009. She has performed with several local ensembles, including the Minnesota Chorale and the Augsburg University Masterworks Chorale, and was a section leader and soloist with the Hamline Church United Methodist Chancel Choir for many years. 
 
Ms. Mebust has been deeply involved in the Twin Cities arts community since a young age. In addition to her musical engagements, she grew up dancing ballet in St. Paul and continues to take classes with Ballet Co.Laboratory. She currently lives in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis.

board of directors

Jonathan Morgan, President | Retired Attorney, Briggs and Morgan; Deputy Attorney General, Solicitor General, State of Minnesota; Retired Vice President & General Counsel, M.A. Mortenson Company

Jay Kurtz, Vice President | Retired, IBM

Steven Savitt, Treasurer & Secretary | Retired, Honeywell and ATK

Susan Doherty | Retired, former Executive Director, Bach Society of Minnesota

Amy C Fistler | Vice President for Advancement, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

Holly Fistler | Senior Attorney, Dorsey & Whitney LLP

David Gilberstadt | Retired, Educator, Entrepreneur, and Futurist

Karen Kustritz | Retired, Registered Nurse

Yunyue Liu | former Executive Director

Andrea Leap | former Executive Director

Richard Resch | Retired Professor, Kantor, Concordia Theological Seminary