Lenox — If you have ever heard George B. Stauffer talk about J.S. Bach, then you already know why you won’t want to miss the Berkshire Bach Society’s presentation of his talk “Why Bach Matters” on January 24 at 3 p.m., at Lenox Town Hall. Presented by BBS Portals, this 90-minute multimedia program explores the enduring relevance of Johann Sebastian Bach, revealing how his music, ideas, and compositional methods continue to shape musical thought across centuries and genres—from the Baroque era to modern popular music.
The program is presented by George B. Stauffer, a distinguished music historian whose scholarship has long focused on Bach and the music of the Baroque period. Using recorded examples, historical context, and live performance, “Why Bach Matters” explores how Bach’s methods—including his approach to harmony, form, counterpoint, and musical structure—remain embedded in musical thought today. Rather than treating Bach as a distant historical figure, the presentation approaches him as a continuing influence whose ideas remain active in contemporary musical life.
Eugene Drucker, artistic director of BBS Portals and founding violinist of the Emerson String Quartet, performs live during the program and moderates a conversation with Stauffer following the presentation.
Stauffer brings decades of scholarship and teaching to this work. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Columbia University, an M.A. from Bryn Mawr College, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. He is distinguished professor of music history and dean emeritus of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where he served as dean from 2000 to 2019. During his tenure, he expanded academic programs, launched new initiatives in community arts and online education, and helped bring about the creation of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, a town-gown performing arts complex that serves both the university and the city.
Stauffer has published nine books, including “J.S. Bach: The Mass in B Minor,” “The World of Baroque Music,” and a newly completed study of the “Brandenburg Concertos.” His writing has appeared in leading scholarly journals, as well as in The New York Times and The New York Review of Books. He has served as president of the American Bach Society and as general editor of its publications.
An accomplished organist as well as a scholar, Stauffer served for more than two decades as university organist and director of chapel music at Columbia University. He has lectured widely at universities, concert halls, and festivals in the United States and abroad and is known for drawing connections across musical periods, from Monteverdi and Bach to Stravinsky and more recent music.
“Why Bach Matters” offers audiences a clear examination of why Bach’s music continues to command attention, not as a monument of the past, but as an ongoing force in musical culture.
Tickets are available here.
