Bach Society of Minnesota was founded in 1932 by musicians and educators from the University of Minnesota, a movement led by music Professor Donald Ferguson that brought together two music fraternities to prepare a Bach cantata under his direction. The organization was one of the first in North America to take the legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach as an exclusive starting point for performances and programming featuring the timeless music of the great composer and those he inspired. In 1959, nearly 30 years into its founding season, the society’s new leader Dr. David LaBerge developed programming that included works by composers other than Bach.

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In 1980, Henry Charles Smith, resident conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra, became artistic director and initiated an annual collaboration between Bach Society and the Minnesota Orchestra performing Handel’s Messiah. Subsequent artistic directors include Paul Oakley, 1987; Roderick Kettlewell, 1997; Myles Hernandez, 2000; Thomas Lancaster, 2004; Paul Boehnke, 2007; and Matthias Maute, 2016. Under Maute’s direction, the Bach Society continues to communicate the depths and passions of Bach’s compositions through period instruments and historic practices, and – much like the musical experimentation that typified the Baroque era – artistic collaborations and performances that occasionally infuse renowned compositions with references to other genres and eras.