(posted by Cara Kannen, KMFA’s Membership Director)

 “I’m BACH!”  😉

Let me first take the opportunity to express how overjoyed I am to be back at KMFA. Besides the wonderful people here, and non-stop immersion in beautiful music, one of the things I missed most during my time away from the station was attending the Bach Cantata Project performances at the Blanton.

For those who have never been, the Bach Cantata Project is a joint venture between the choral department of the UT Butler School of Music and the Blanton Museum of Art. Each month, students and faculty present a beautiful Bach cantata in the Blanton’s atrium. Afterward, a Blanton tour guide hosts a special viewing and history of a featured piece of artwork chosen to tie closely to the theme of the cantata.

The first time I heard a Bach Cantata performed in the atrium, I marveled at how surprisingly pleasing the acoustics were and how beautifully the space, with its soaring ceiling and skylights, set a tone of peaceful contemplation. Another relatively recent enhancement in the atrium, installed around the first of the year, is a site-specific work in cast acrylic titled Stacked Waters. The reflective striped-blue patterns around the atrium walls resemble water and lend an additional element of peacefulness to the venue.

The theme of October’s cantata was based on a communion hymn, composed by Bach for performance in 1724. Whether thoughts of observing communion or celebrating God’s wedding feast filled your mind, the warmth of the music certainly fed the soul at the noon hour.

I encourage you to mark your calendar for the next Bach Cantata Project on Tuesday, November 24th. Museum admission covers both the music performance and the galleries and tours after. The performance begins at noon and is the perfect escape over the lunch hour for a refreshing change. But do plan to go a little early, as the seats fill up fast. Bach Cantata project performances take place the last Tuesday of every month (except December) from September through April. Maybe I will see you there….I’m the one in the “standing room only” section dancing next to the KMFA banner!

Cheers!

~ Cara