Experience Bach in Waupaca
Every two years, the Waupaca Community Arts Board brings musicians, artists, and member of the community together for a week-long celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach. Enjoy concerts, educational programs, community performances, and artistic events that make Baroque music feel timeless, welcoming, and alive.
Bach Festival Events
Monday, Sept. 21
Winchester Academy presents “Meet Bach’s Oboe” with Stacey Berk
6:30 p.m.
The Arts Hub- 515 School Street, Waupaca
FREE, no ticket needed
Stacey Berk is Professor of Oboe and Music Theory/Composition at UW–Stevens Point. Step into the fascinating world of the Baroque oboe and discover the instrument behind some of Johann Sebastian Bach's most expressive music. In this engaging lecture-demonstration, Stacey Berk shares her journey learning to play this beautiful yet challenging instrument and her exploration of the vibrant world of early music. Along the way, you'll discover the art of making Baroque reeds, the process of building a Baroque oboe d'amore, and hear these remarkable instruments brought to life through live demonstrations. Whether you're a musician, a Bach enthusiast, or simply curious about historical instruments, you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the sounds, craftsmanship, and performance traditions of the Baroque era.
Diane Forsythe is our program sponsor.
Tuesday, Sept. 22
Bach and the Art of Charcuterie!
6:30 p.m.
Empty Barrel Distillery- 219 N Main St, Waupaca
Tickets - $10
Get your tickets HERE!
A unique evening awaits you at the Empty Barrel Distillery! Enjoy the music of Bach played by Heidi Corcoran, cellist from Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, and watch Sheila from The Gouda Life demonstrate the creation of beautiful charcuterie boards! This event includes sampling of the charcuterie boards that will be created before your eyes and handcrafted cocktails for purchase!
Enjoy this delicious workshop presented by The Gouda Life!
Seating will be limited, get your tickets to reserve your spot!
Wednesday, Sept. 23
Music and Wine Intertwine with Nell Buchman!
6:30 p.m.
The Arts Hub- 515 School Street, Waupaca
FREE Event (Tickets still need to be reserved as seating is limited, wine will be for purchase)
Reserve your seat HERE!
Get into the “spirit” of Bach Week, as pianist Nell Buchman discusses composers and their works that will be featured at Thursday’s Community Bach concert!
Join us in the wonderful Woodpile Foundation Performance Hall at The Arts Hub. Enjoy a glass of wine and learn about multiple eras of classical music and key composers. Wine and beverages will be available for purchase.
Seating is limited so please reserve your seat by getting a ticket.
This is a free event due to the generous sponsorship of the Waupaca Community Foundation.
Nell Jorgensen Buchman teaches piano, group piano, and early childhood music at the Lawrence Community Music School and Lawrence University.
Thursday, Sept. 24
Bach Community Concert
7 p.m.
Trinity Lutheran Church - 206 E Badger St, Waupaca
FREE!
Join us at Trinity Lutheran Church for an inspiring community concert featuring talented local and regional musicians, including pianist Clara Dunne. Experience the timeless music of Bach and other great composers as we journey through the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras—an afternoon of beautiful music for everyone to enjoy!
Learn more about the performers here.
No tickets needed for this free event!
Photo from the Bach Community Concert in 2024.
Friday, Sept. 25
Bach in the Brewery at H.H. HINDER BREWING CO.
6:30 p.m.
H.H. HINDER Brewing Co. - 804 Churchill St, Waupaca
FREE- No ticket needed
Join your Baroque and Bach loving friends at H.H. HINDER Brewing Co. for a delightful performance by Stas Venglevski, Russian Bayanist, composer, conductor, arranger, and entertainer! Stas is back in Waupaca for an encore performance at the H.H. HINDER Taproom! Come early for a good seat and enjoy a Bach beer from the extensive selection of locally brewed beers from H.H. HINDER Brewery!
The Genuine Deli Co. food truck will be at the brewery that day from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Stas Venglevski is a bayanist, composer, conductor, arranger, entertainer and a teacher and his extensive repertoire includes his original compositions and a broad range of classical, contemporary and ethnic music. He has toured extensively as a soloist throughout the former Soviet Union, Canada, Europe, and the United States and most recently in South Africa. Numerous U.S. performances include performances with Doc Severinsen, Steve Allen and Garrison Keillor on the Prairie Home Companion Show.
He has performed with symphony orchestras in Europe and throughout the United States, including the Anchorage, Grand Florida, and Detroit symphony orchestras in the opera production of Frida, and with the University of Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra in 2003 for the official World Premiere of the Concerto No. 2 in D minor. It marked the first time the piece had been performed in its entirety with a symphony orchestra. He has performed the concerto on multiple occasions since, with the Tacoma, Colorado Jefferson and Racine symphony orchestras, and with that of Nurenberg, Germany.
For over 25 years he has been a regular participant in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s Arts in Community Education program (ACE). He’s done television commercials and performed in theater and opera productions; produced 31recording albums, including a transcription of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite for Bayan, as well as original compositions. Additionally, he has published several books of original compositions.
For the past 10 years he has been the Artistic Director of the Houston Accordion Orchestra Retreat and in 2021 he was named Artistic Director of a World of Accordions Museum (AWAM) in Superior, Wisconsin. He is a past President of the Accordionists and Teachers Guild and currently serves on its board. Most recently, he has joined the faculty of the Music Department of the University of Wisconsin, Superior, WI. In 2023, he established the Stas Venglevski Music Foundation, SVMF. The aim is to revolutionize the world of accordion by inspiring young people to embrace the fine arts, empowering them to create music, honing their performance skills as soloists and with orchestras, and giving them opportunities to compose and debut new music. In addition to the core mission, the foundation is committed to expanding public knowledge of art and music and supporting impactful cultural initiatives worldwide.
In February of 2025, Stas performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall.
Saturday, Sept. 26
Bach Family Fun Day at the Arts Hub!
10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
The Arts Hub - 515 School Street, Waupaca
FREE- No ticket needed
Enjoy a variety of fun, family-friendly activities celebrating classical music and the life and music of Bach! Activities include Bach T-shirt screen printing, a sheet music craft project, Bach-inspired pottery painting, Baroque music performed by Russian bayan player Stas Venglevsk, The Life of Bach story time, a presentation on the periods of classical music by Arts Hub music students, sweet treats, a special Bach concert featuring Arts Hub music students, and more!
Come together with us for creative crafts inspired by the music of J. S. Bach.
Tentative Schedule:
10:30 a.m. - 1p.m.: Come get creative at the Arts Hub
Silk Screen T-shirts with Bach image in the back yard (weather permitting)
Sheet music crafts
POP: Stencil Bach on a mug (10% off POP Craft for the day)
Bach Story time at 11:30 a.m.
Visit the periods of classical music and learn about composers
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: Arts Hub Bach Concert
Stas Venglevski, Russian Bayan performing the music of Bach
Arts Hub students in concert
Reception with refreshments
Final Bach Event!
Sunday, Sept. 27
The Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra Performance
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
St. Mary Magdelene Catholic Church- N2845 Shadow Road, Waupaca
Tickets- $25 (Each ticket includes admission and one free glass of wine during the reception)
Get your tickets HERE!
Dessert and wine reception to follow concert
Celebrate the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and more at this special Bach Fest Chamber Concert featuring the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. Under the direction of Andres Moran, the orchestra will perform works by Bach, Purcell, and Mozart, showcasing the beauty and brilliance of the Baroque and Classical traditions. The concert will feature pianist Nell Buchman, adding her exceptional artistry to the evening.
Join us after the performance for a reception—a chance to connect with the musicians, enjoy cupcakes and wine, and celebrate the wonderful music of Bach and his fellow masters.
After spending the 2019-2020 season under the title of Interim Music Director, Dr. Andres Moran has been named the permanent Music Director of the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra starting with concerts in October 2020. Dr. Moran also serves as Director of Orchestras and Artist/Teacher of Horn at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Since arriving in Central Wisconsin in 2016, Moran has quickly established himself as a versatile conductor, having guest conducted the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra and Waupaca Bach Fest.
Passionate in his work with young musicians, Moran conducts the Fox Valley Youth Symphony and has served as conductor for the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, the Music in the Mountains Festival in Durango, Colorado, and the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp. In March 2015, the Detroit Symphony invited Moran to guest conduct DSO’s Civic Youth Orchestra in an all-Russian program during the orchestra’s Tchaikovsky Festival. From 2009 to 2016, Moran was the Resident Conductor of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the Music Director and General Manager of the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras.
Moran holds degrees from Indiana University (Doctorate of Music, Instrumental Conducting), Southern Methodist University (Master of Music, Orchestral Conducting and Horn Performance), and New Mexico State University (Bachelor of Music Education). Moran’s principal conducting teachers are David Effron, Arthur Fagen, and Paul C. Phillips.
An accomplished horn player, Moran is the principal horn of the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, and the Sarasota Music Festival. In 1999 and 2000, Moran was selected as a finalist in the International Horn Society’s Solo Horn Competition. His horn instructors include Nancy Joy, Gregory Hustis, and Myron Bloom.
Nell Jorgensen Buchman teaches piano, group piano, and early childhood music at the Lawrence Community Music School and Lawrence University.
In addition to teaching, she accompanies and manages LCMS girl choirs from grades 3-9 and is the pianist at Emmanuel Methodist Church in Appleton. Nell has performed at Lawrence University, UWSP, the Winchester Academy, the Appleton and Neenah Libraries, Pine Mountain Music Festival, Frankly Music Chamber Series and with the Raleigh Symphony, Cimarron Opera Company and Brevard Music Center Orchestra among others. She has been a guest on public radio and has performed at music conventions such as MTNA and MENC.
Since her first performance in the biennial Waupaca Bach Festival in 2015, Nell has enjoyed collaborating with the Bach Chamber Orchestra and dancers Pamela Luedtke, Jeannie Hill and Katelyn Altmann. In addition, she has given talks about composers featured in the community concert. Nell is excited to perform in this year’s Chamber concert!
Bach Fest is brought to you because of a generous grant from the Waupaca Area Community Foundation Fund within the Waupaca Area Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.
The Bach Festival would not happen without your financial support, and that of our community donors!