The American Bach Soloists (ABS) is an American baroque orchestra based in the San Francisco Bay Area.[1] The orchestra was founded in Belvedere, California in 1989.[2] Performers share music from Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries during the Classical era, including Handel, Vivaldi, and Mozart, with modern audiences.[1]
| American Bach Soloists (ABS) | |
|---|---|
| Chamber orchestra on period instruments | |
![]() Official American Bach Soloists logo | |
| Founded | 1989 (1989) |
| Location | San Francisco |
| Principal conductor | Jeffrey Thomas |
| Website | americanbach |
Since 1998, ABS has performed Handel's Messiah at Grace Cathedral during the Christmas season.[1]
In February 2020, ABS released a compilation album featuring Bach's cantatas and other early music pieces.[3]
In 2010, ABS began hosting the American Bach Soloists Academy, an annual two-week summer training program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.[2] Each year, more than 50 advanced students of early music convene for coaching, rehearsals, and classes.[1] Following the academy, musicians publicly perform baroque selections as a part of the ABS Festival.[4][5]
The American Bach Soloists are led by artistic and music director Jeffrey Thomas.[2][6] Jeffrey is a conductor and tenor vocalist. He studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Manhattan School of Music, the Juilliard School of Music and at Cambridge University.[7]
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
| Other | |